Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, Canada and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,527 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cambridge outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
Learn more

Cambridge Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge and in Calgary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,527 in Cambridge versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Cambridge $2,527
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Cambridge versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Cambridge $3,443
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,359 in Cambridge versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Cambridge $4,359
Calgary $4,428

Living in Cambridge is roughly 10% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 86% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$24.72

$17.55 CA$24.53

0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 CA$79.2

$70.4 CA$98.4

-19.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 CA$14.74

$10.69 CA$14.94

-1.31%

Cappuccino

$3.56 CA$4.97

$3.89 CA$5.44

-8.48%

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

$1.99 CA$2.78

$2.04 CA$2.85

-2.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.88 CA$2.62

-35.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 CA$7.26

$4.90 CA$6.84

5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 CA$8.75

$5.78 CA$8.08

8.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.79

$1.96 CA$2.74

1.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 CA$3.37

$2.74 CA$3.83

-12.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.47

$5.46 CA$7.63

-41.58%

Eggs

$3.32 CA$4.64

$3.69 CA$5.15

-10.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

$11.24 CA$15.72

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$15.90

$11.54 CA$16.13

-1.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 CA$20.17

$18.38 CA$25.68

-21.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.68

$4.90 CA$6.85

-16.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.42 CA$1.99

-6.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.65

$4.21 CA$5.89

-3.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.22

$4.02 CA$5.62

-6.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.85

$2.69 CA$3.77

2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.66 CA$3.72

-27.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 CA$2.80

$2.61 CA$3.65

-23.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.81

$1.60 CA$2.23

-19.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 CA$18.08

$14.00 CA$19.57

-7.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.40 CA$17.34

$15.40 CA$21.52

-19.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.67

$2.50 CA$3.49

5.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$3.09 CA$4.32

30.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 CA$3.92

$2.93 CA$4.10

-4.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 CA$97.1

$89.3 CA$125

-22.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 CA$3.58

$3.27 CA$4.57

-21.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 CA$2.51

$1.35 CA$1.89

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.32 CA$32.60

$27.39 CA$38.28

-14.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.17 CA$1.64

4.27%

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

$26.5K CA$37.0K

$27.9K CA$39.1K

-5.16%

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

$20.7K CA$28.9K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

-1.69%

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

$152 CA$213

$167 CA$233

-8.61%

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

$42.51 CA$59.4

$38.27 CA$53.5

11.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CA$70.6

$50.9 CA$71.2

-0.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 CA$40.03

$51.0 CA$71.2

-43.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 CA$15.01

$14.44 CA$20.18

-25.62%

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

$497 CA$695

$545 CA$762

-8.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.1K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-2.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 CA$88.7

$58.9 CA$82.3

7.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 CA$46.22

$39.75 CA$55.6

-16.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 CA$115

$93.4 CA$130

-11.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$148

$110 CA$154

-4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 CA$2,137

$1,254 CA$1,753

21.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 CA$1,949

$1,056 CA$1,477

32.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 CA$2,876

$2,022 CA$2,826

1.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 CA$2,614

$1,629 CA$2,276

14.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,450 CA$6,220

$3,600 CA$5,032

23.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,682 CA$5,147

$3,243 CA$4,532

13.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,028 CA$4,232

$3,115 CA$4,354

-2.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

4.51

15.74%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 24.3% $338

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$349 13.8%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 12.5% $44

Eating Out

Cambridge

$267 10.6%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 1.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$245 9.7%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 4.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$128 5.1%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 6.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Cambridge

$92 3.7%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 20.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$50 2%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 59.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,529 in Cambridge and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57 in Cambridge vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $393 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

1 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cambridge Calgary 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
Calgary

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

Cambridge vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Cambridge. 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: $1,529 in Cambridge versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cambridge – a meal for two runs $57 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,527 per month in Cambridge versus $2,303 in Calgary – Calgary is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.