Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Windsor, NS

For one person, living is cheaper in Windsor, NS: $2,212 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Windsor, NS
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Windsor, NS Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Windsor, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Windsor, NS

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,212 in Windsor, NS.

Calgary $2,303
Windsor, NS $2,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,268 in Windsor, NS.

Calgary $3,366
Windsor, NS $3,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,324 in Windsor, NS.

Calgary $4,428
Windsor, NS $4,324

Living in Calgary is roughly 4% more expensive than in Windsor, NS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Windsor, NS 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.52

$18.93 CA$26.46

-7.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$35.52 CA$49.63

98.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$10.82 CA$15.12

-1.20%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.43

$3.65 CA$5.10

6.58%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$2.06 CA$2.88

-0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.87 CA$2.61

0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$4.39 CA$6.13

11.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.59 CA$7.81

3.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.94 CA$4.11

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.84 CA$3.97

-3.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$3.54 CA$4.95

54.24%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.74 CA$5.23

-1.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

$13.70 CA$19.15

-17.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.12

$15.31 CA$21.39

-24.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$13.21 CA$18.46

39.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$5.76 CA$8.05

-14.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.54 CA$2.16

-7.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$4.75 CA$6.64

-11.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$5.79 CA$8.10

-30.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.07 CA$2.90

29.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.15 CA$3.00

23.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.49 CA$3.48

4.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$2.10 CA$2.94

-23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$14.17 CA$19.80

-1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$14.35 CA$20.05

7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$3.27 CA$4.57

-23.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$3.94 CA$5.51

-21.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$2.54 CA$3.55

15.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$64.0 CA$89.4

39.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.87 CA$4.01

13.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.40 CA$1.95

-3.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.27

$21.04 CA$29.39

30.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.22 CA$1.70

-4.10%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$26.7K CA$37.4K

4.52%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$21.3K CA$29.7K

-1.18%

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

$167 CA$233

$125 CA$175

32.87%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$31.80 CA$44.44

20.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$36.09 CA$50.4

41.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$36.05 CA$50.4

41.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.39

$17.45 CA$24.39

4.13%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$12.92 CA$18.06

11.76%

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

$545 CA$762

$379 CA$529

44.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$13.7K CA$19.2K

18.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$59.9 CA$83.7

-1.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$35.29 CA$49.30

12.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$103 CA$144

-9.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$117 CA$164

-6.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,752

$1,265 CA$1,767

-0.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,476

$1,025 CA$1,432

3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$1,834 CA$2,562

10.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$1,749 CA$2,443

-6.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,031

$4,604 CA$6,433

-21.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,531

$3,447 CA$4,817

-5.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,353

$940 CA$1,314

231.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.6

-1.96%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Windsor, NS: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Windsor, NS

$1K 46.3% 3% $32

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Windsor, NS

$429 19.4% 9.2% $36

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Windsor, NS

$277 12.5% 2.1% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Windsor, NS

$193 8.7% 24.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Windsor, NS

$142 6.4% 4.5% $6.1

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Windsor, NS

$84 3.8% 24.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Windsor, NS

$62 2.8% 22.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,265 in Windsor, NS. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $36 in Windsor, NS. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $429, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Windsor, NS

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

217,188

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calgary Windsor, NS 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Windsor, NS

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 Windsor, NS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Windsor, NS is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in transport, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Calgary is about 3.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,265 in Windsor, NS. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Windsor, NS – a meal for two runs $36 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,303 per month in Calgary versus $2,212 in Windsor, NS – Windsor, NS is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Windsor, NS gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Windsor, NS wins on affordability, Calgary on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.