Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Welland

For one person, living is cheaper in Welland: $2,132 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Calgary despite lower rent and utilities.

Calgary, Canada
Welland, Canada
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Welland
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,132
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Welland

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 Welland actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,132 in Welland.

  • Calgary $2,303
  • Welland $2,132

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,001 in Welland.

  • Calgary $3,366
  • Welland $3,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $3,869 in Welland.

  • Calgary $4,428
  • Welland $3,869

Living in Calgary is roughly 8% more expensive than in Welland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Welland 57% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calgary
Welland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.55 CA$24.52
$13.99 CA$19.55
25.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.4 CA$98.4
$57.0 CA$79.6
23.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.69 CA$14.94
$9.49 CA$13.26
12.64%
Cappuccino
$3.89 CA$5.43
$3.13 CA$4.38
24.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.85
$2.09 CA$2.92
-2.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 CA$2.62
$1.69 CA$2.37
11.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.90 CA$6.84
$4.58 CA$6.40
6.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.78 CA$8.08
$5.78 CA$8.08
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calgary
Welland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 CA$2.74
$2.13 CA$2.98
-7.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 CA$3.83
$2.46 CA$3.44
11.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.46 CA$7.63
$3.46 CA$4.84
57.80%
Eggs
$3.69 CA$5.15
$4.30 CA$6.01
-14.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 CA$15.71
$10.77 CA$15.05
4.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.54 CA$16.12
$11.36 CA$15.87
1.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.38 CA$25.68
$14.09 CA$19.69
30.45%
Apples (1kg)
$4.90 CA$6.85
$3.36 CA$4.70
45.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 CA$1.99
$1.45 CA$2.02
-2.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.88
$3.16 CA$4.42
33.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 CA$5.62
$2.98 CA$4.16
34.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 CA$3.77
$2.28 CA$3.18
17.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.66 CA$3.72
$2.65 CA$3.70
0.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.61 CA$3.65
$2.72 CA$3.79
-4.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.23
$1.30 CA$1.82
23.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.00 CA$19.57
$13.35 CA$18.66
4.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.40 CA$21.52
$12.88 CA$17.99
19.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.49
$3.05 CA$4.26
-18.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 CA$4.32
$2.53 CA$3.53
22.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Calgary
Welland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 CA$4.09
$2.16 CA$3.02
35.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.3 CA$125
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 CA$4.57
$2.45 CA$3.43
33.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 CA$1.89
$2.30 CA$3.21
-41.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.39 CA$38.27
$22.27 CA$31.12
22.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 CA$1.64
$1.16 CA$1.62
0.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.0K
$26.0K CA$36.4K
7.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K CA$29.4K
$21.5K CA$30.1K
-2.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
Welland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 CA$233
$178 CA$248
-6.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.27 CA$53.5
$34.61 CA$48.36
10.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.9 CA$71.2
$49.54 CA$69.2
2.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
Welland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 CA$71.2
$30.33 CA$42.38
67.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.17 CA$25.39
$44.92 CA$62.8
-59.55%
Cinema Ticket
$14.44 CA$20.18
$10.86 CA$15.18
32.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calgary
Welland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 CA$762
$512 CA$716
6.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$22.7K
$17.0K CA$23.8K
-4.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
Welland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 CA$82.3
$69.0 CA$96.5
-14.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.75 CA$55.6
$52.2 CA$73.0
-23.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 CA$130
$98.3 CA$137
-5.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$154
$93.7 CA$131
17.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calgary
Welland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 CA$1,752
$1,112 CA$1,553
12.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 CA$1,476
$1,081 CA$1,511
-2.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,022 CA$2,826
$1,908 CA$2,666
6.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,629 CA$2,276
$1,528 CA$2,135
6.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,600 CA$5,031
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,243 CA$4,531
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calgary
Welland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,115 CA$4,353
$2,989 CA$4,176
4.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
5.71
-21.02%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Welland: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Calgary
$1.1K
Welland
$1.1K 2.3% $25
Groceries & Markets
Calgary
$393
Welland
$346 11.9% $47
Eating Out
Calgary
$271
Welland
$228 16% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
$256
Welland
$262 2.3% $6
Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
$136
Welland
$141 3.7% $5
Getting Around
Calgary
$111
Welland
$23 * 79.7% $88
Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
$80
Welland
$52 34.8% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,112 in Welland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 4% 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: $70 in Calgary vs $57 in Welland for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $346 per month, with Welland cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Calgary
🇨🇦 Welland
🕒 Local time
19:42 7:42 PM
20:42 8:42 PM
1 h ahead of Calgary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,267,344
52,293
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calgary Welland 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Calgary
  • Welland

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 Welland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Welland cheaper than Calgary?
Welland is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Calgary or Welland?
Average pay runs 4% higher in Calgary, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Calgary and Welland?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,112 in Welland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $512 in Welland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Calgary or in Welland?
Dining out is cheaper in Welland – a meal for two runs $57 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is Calgary or Welland more family-friendly?
For families, Welland is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Calgary, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Welland wins on affordability, Calgary on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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