Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Victoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,536 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
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Victoria Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Victoria

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Victoria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calgary and in Victoria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,536 in Victoria.

Calgary $2,223
Victoria $2,536

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $3,847 in Victoria.

Calgary $3,301
Victoria $3,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $5,159 in Victoria.

Calgary $4,379
Victoria $5,159

Living in Calgary costs roughly 12% less than in Victoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Victoria 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$19.21 CA$27.16

-10.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$70.2 CA$99.2

1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$11.03 CA$15.59

-4.53%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$4.41 CA$6.23

-17.01%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.33 CA$3.30

-15.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.87 CA$2.65

3.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$5.63 CA$7.97

-12.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$6.59 CA$9.31

-15.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$2.73 CA$3.86

-31.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.98 CA$4.22

-10.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$4.02 CA$5.68

32.34%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$4.14 CA$5.85

-8.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$26.73 CA$37.79

-58.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$12.46 CA$17.62

-8.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$14.32 CA$20.25

28.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$3.91 CA$5.53

16.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.44 CA$2.03

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$3.94 CA$5.57

3.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$4.20 CA$5.94

-7.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.46 CA$4.89

-23.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.85 CA$4.03

-7.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$3.17 CA$4.49

-21.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.45 CA$3.46

-38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$14.95 CA$21.13

-6.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$17.38 CA$24.58

-9.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$3.82 CA$5.40

-36.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.43 CA$4.85

-9.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.04 CA$2.89

38.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

$60.0 CA$84.8

47.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.76 CA$3.90

13.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.53 CA$2.17

-11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$34.02 CA$48.09

-20.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.41 CA$2.00

-17.73%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$27.4K CA$38.7K

1.92%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$18.5K CA$26.2K

9.93%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$161 CA$227

$104 CA$147

54.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$38.13 CA$53.9

$44.32 CA$62.7

-13.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$60.9 CA$86.1

-17.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$43.17 CA$61.0

19.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

$17.01 CA$24.05

6.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$10.63 CA$15.03

30.01%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$786 CA$1,111

$886 CA$1,252

-11.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$23.2K CA$32.8K

-33.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$53.4 CA$75.5

9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$43.58 CA$61.6

-9.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$89.9 CA$127

-0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$106 CA$149

4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$1,521 CA$2,151

-19.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$1,295 CA$1,831

-22.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$2,720 CA$3,845

-29.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$2,315 CA$3,273

-29.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$5,206 CA$7,359

-31.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$4,371 CA$6,179

-23.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$3,251 CA$4,595

-2.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.31

4.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Victoria: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Victoria

$1.3K 51.1% 29.4% $294

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Victoria

$459 18.1% 19.2% $74

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Victoria

$298 11.7% 12.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Victoria

$209 8.3% 15.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Victoria

$132 5.2% 1.6% $2.1

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Victoria

$79 3.1% 28.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Victoria

$64 2.5% 18.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $1,521 in Victoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Victoria pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $70.0 in Victoria. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $459, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Victoria

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

85,792

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Victoria 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Victoria

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calgary vs Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Victoria. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,229 in Calgary versus $1,521 in Victoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $70.0 in Victoria. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Calgary versus $2,536 in Victoria – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,536 in Victoria, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Victoria. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Victoria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.