Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Columbia, SC and in Calgary: $2,257 and $2,232 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,257

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Columbia, SC 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 Columbia, SC and in Calgary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,257 in Columbia, SC versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Columbia, SC $2,257
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,448 in Columbia, SC versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Columbia, SC $3,448
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,639 in Columbia, SC versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Columbia, SC $4,639
Calgary $4,493

Living in Columbia, SC is roughly 1% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, SC 68% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$17.22 CA$24.54

17.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$71.2 CA$101

-17.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 $12.14

$10.56 CA$15.06

14.96%

Cappuccino

$5.26 $5.26

$3.77 CA$5.38

39.52%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$1.91 CA$2.73

48.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.84 CA$2.63

19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 $5.63

$4.86 CA$6.93

15.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 $6.68

$5.55 CA$7.91

20.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.88 CA$2.68

-58.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.73 CA$3.89

-9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$5.34 CA$7.61

-12.17%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.77 CA$5.37

10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 $10.26

$11.29 CA$16.09

-9.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$11.46 CA$16.34

-3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 $16.12

$18.26 CA$26.03

-11.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$4.64 CA$6.62

7.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.44 CA$2.05

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$4.22 CA$6.02

55.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$3.86 CA$5.50

61.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.62 CA$3.74

20.61%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.66 CA$3.79

56.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.59 CA$3.69

-26.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.53 CA$2.19

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.27 $8.27

$14.26 CA$20.32

-42.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 $16.20

$15.27 CA$21.76

6.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.41 CA$3.44

-21.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.09 CA$4.41

-13.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.88 CA$4.11

-29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.05 $40.05

$88.7 CA$126

-54.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.23 CA$4.61

-38.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.38 CA$1.97

13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.90 $17.90

$26.49 CA$37.75

-32.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.18 CA$1.68

-16.95%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$28.3K CA$40.3K

21.81%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

19.97%

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

$270 $270

$159 CA$227

69.38%

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

$59.5 $59.5

$37.61 CA$53.6

58.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 $65.3

$49.68 CA$70.8

31.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 $36.84

$53.3 CA$75.9

-30.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.87 $17.87

$18.31 CA$26.10

-2.40%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$14.08 CA$20.06

8.03%

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

$1,122 $1,122

$809 CA$1,154

38.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K $22.6K

$15.9K CA$22.6K

42.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$58.8 CA$83.8

-12.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 $40.48

$38.84 CA$55.4

4.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$91.4 CA$130

-8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$109 CA$155

5.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 $1,270

$1,237 CA$1,764

2.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$855 $855

$996 CA$1,420

-14.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$1,908 CA$2,720

14.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$1,671 CA$2,382

6.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,102 $2,102

$3,530 CA$5,032

-40.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 $1,639

$3,336 CA$4,755

-50.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,253 $3,253

$3,130 CA$4,461

3.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

4.51

45.45%

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

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 4, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, SC

$855 38.6%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 16.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, SC

$395 17.8%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 37.5% $148

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, SC

$388 17.5%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 0.2% $0.7

Eating Out

Columbia, SC

$323 14.6%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 18% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, SC

$131 5.9%

Calgary

$134 6% 2.5% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, SC

$67 3%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 21% $14

Getting Around

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6%

Calgary

$110 5% 90.2% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,270 in Columbia, SC and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC 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: $59.0 in Columbia, SC vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $387, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

2 h behind Columbia, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Columbia, SC Calgary 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Columbia, SC
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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

Columbia, SC vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Columbia, SC, 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: $1,270 in Columbia, SC versus $1,237 in Calgary. 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 $59.0 in Columbia, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,257 per month in Columbia, SC versus $2,232 in Calgary – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,257 in Columbia, SC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Columbia, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Columbia, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Columbia, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.