Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbus, GA and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,335 in Columbus, GA, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Columbus, GA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Columbus, GA
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Columbus, GA Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Columbus, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,335

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,335 in Columbus, GA versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Columbus, GA $2,335
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Columbus, GA versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Columbus, GA $3,064
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,794 in Columbus, GA versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Columbus, GA $3,794
Calgary $4,379

Living in Columbus, GA is roughly 5% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbus, GA 73% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.06 $22.06

$17.22 CA$24.34

28.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$71.1 CA$100

13.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 $9.85

$10.53 CA$14.89

-6.46%

Cappuccino

$4.92 $4.92

$3.66 CA$5.18

34.43%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$1.98 CA$2.80

34.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.94 CA$2.74

1.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$4.95 CA$7.00

-1.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$5.57 CA$7.87

23.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.88 CA$2.65

-51.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.67 CA$3.78

14.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$5.32 CA$7.52

-63.16%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$3.79 CA$5.35

-21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$11.09 CA$15.68

-46.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 $10.32

$11.36 CA$16.05

-9.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.99 $8.99

$18.40 CA$26.01

-51.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$4.56 CA$6.45

-20.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.44 CA$2.04

-7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$4.08 CA$5.76

-31.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.89 CA$5.50

-8.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.64 CA$3.73

-35.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.64 CA$3.73

-31.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.50 CA$3.54

-30.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.50 CA$2.12

15.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 $6.83

$14.05 CA$19.86

-51.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 $14.81

$15.70 CA$22.20

-5.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.44 CA$3.45

-30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$3.09 CA$4.37

-60.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 $1.29

$2.82 CA$3.99

-54.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 $52.5

$88.6 CA$125

-40.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.12 CA$4.41

-37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.35 CA$1.91

-5.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.76 $20.76

$27.02 CA$38.20

-23.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.16 CA$1.64

-11.21%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

34.18%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

26.77%

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

$170 $170

$161 CA$227

6.05%

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

$46.40 $46.40

$38.13 CA$53.9

21.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$50.0 CA$70.7

28.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.42 $25.42

$51.5 CA$72.8

-50.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.55 $7.55

$18.14 CA$25.64

-58.38%

Cinema Ticket

$12.63 $12.63

$13.82 CA$19.54

-8.61%

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

$996 $996

$786 CA$1,111

26.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K $13.9K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-10.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.27 $45.27

$58.3 CA$82.4

-22.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.22 $30.22

$39.27 CA$55.5

-23.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 $91.4

$89.8 CA$127

1.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$110 CA$155

-4.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 $1,399

$1,229 CA$1,737

13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 $1,205

$1,001 CA$1,415

20.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 $1,240

$1,621 CA$2,292

-23.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,059 $6,059

$3,549 CA$5,018

70.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,122 $6,122

$3,335 CA$4,715

83.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,653 $3,653

$3,165 CA$4,474

15.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

4.51

42.35%

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

Last update for Columbus, GA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbus, GA

$1.2K 51.6%

Calgary

$1K 45% 16.9% $204

Eating Out

Columbus, GA

$322 13.8%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 17.7% $57

Groceries & Markets

Columbus, GA

$288 12.3%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 34% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbus, GA

$281 12%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 11.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Columbus, GA

$123 5.3%

Calgary

$134 6% 9.1% $11

Getting Around

Columbus, GA

$66 2.8%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 66.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Columbus, GA

$51 2.2%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 56.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,399 in Columbus, GA and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbus, GA pays 15% 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: $80.0 in Columbus, GA vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $385, with Columbus, GA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbus, GA

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

2 h behind Columbus, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

905,748

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Columbus, GA Calgary 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Columbus, GA vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Columbus, GA, 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: $1,399 in Columbus, GA versus $1,229 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 $80.0 in Columbus, GA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,335 per month in Columbus, GA versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,335 in Columbus, GA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Columbus, GA. 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 5% less than in Columbus, GA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.