Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Courtenay and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Courtenay: $2,184 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Calgary despite lower rent and utilities.

104

Cost of Living Index in Courtenay
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Courtenay Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Courtenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,184

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,184 in Courtenay versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Courtenay $2,184
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,080 in Courtenay versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Courtenay $3,080
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,975 in Courtenay versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Courtenay $3,975
Calgary $4,428

Living in Courtenay costs roughly 5% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Courtenay 60% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.38 CA$20.10

$17.55 CA$24.52

-18.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 CA$79.9

$70.4 CA$98.4

-18.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.76 CA$13.64

$10.69 CA$14.94

-8.70%

Cappuccino

$3.68 CA$5.14

$3.89 CA$5.43

-5.40%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.88 CA$2.62

-17.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 CA$8.09

$4.90 CA$6.84

18.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CA$8.02

$5.78 CA$8.08

-0.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.41 CA$3.37

$1.96 CA$2.74

22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 CA$2.87

$2.74 CA$3.83

-25.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 CA$2.91

$5.46 CA$7.63

-61.90%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.47

$3.69 CA$5.15

-13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 CA$14.21

$11.24 CA$15.71

-9.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 CA$12.85

$11.54 CA$16.12

-20.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.79 CA$27.65

$18.38 CA$25.68

7.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.62

$4.90 CA$6.85

-32.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.83

$1.42 CA$1.99

-7.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 CA$3.28

$4.21 CA$5.88

-44.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.29

$4.02 CA$5.62

-23.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$2.69 CA$3.77

-1.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.01

$2.66 CA$3.72

-19.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 CA$2.89

$2.61 CA$3.65

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.60 CA$2.23

2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 CA$19.85

$14.00 CA$19.57

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 CA$15.22

$15.40 CA$21.52

-29.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 CA$3.62

$2.50 CA$3.49

3.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.40

$3.09 CA$4.32

-21.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.93 CA$4.09

-33.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 CA$59.4

$89.3 CA$125

-52.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 CA$3.84

$3.27 CA$4.57

-15.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.96

$1.35 CA$1.89

3.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.82 CA$24.90

$27.39 CA$38.27

-34.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.17 CA$1.64

9.40%

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

$20.8K CA$29.1K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

-25.40%

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

$18.2K CA$25.5K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

-13.25%

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

$139 CA$194

$167 CA$233

-16.66%

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

$36.71 CA$51.3

$38.27 CA$53.5

-4.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 CA$91.3

$50.9 CA$71.2

28.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.38 CA$59.2

$51.0 CA$71.2

-16.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.49 CA$53.8

$18.17 CA$25.39

111.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 CA$15.06

$14.44 CA$20.18

-25.35%

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

$648 CA$906

$545 CA$762

18.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K CA$17.2K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-24.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 CA$79.5

$58.9 CA$82.3

-3.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 CA$63.5

$39.75 CA$55.6

14.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.5 CA$110

$93.4 CA$130

-15.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 CA$83.5

$110 CA$154

-45.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 CA$1,703

$1,254 CA$1,752

-2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 CA$1,588

$1,056 CA$1,476

7.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 CA$2,855

$2,022 CA$2,826

1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,277

$1,629 CA$2,276

0.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,318 CA$7,430

$3,600 CA$5,031

47.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,531

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,239 CA$4,525

$3,115 CA$4,353

3.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

4.51

7.98%

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

Last update for Courtenay: 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

Courtenay

$1.1K 52.1%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 7.1% $80

Groceries & Markets

Courtenay

$331 15.1%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 18.8% $62

Eating Out

Courtenay

$243 11.1%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 11.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Courtenay

$241 11%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 6.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Courtenay

$108 5%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 25.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Courtenay

$64 2.9%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 24.9% $16

Getting Around

Courtenay

$60 2.8%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 85% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,219 in Courtenay and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Courtenay pays 4% 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 Courtenay vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $393 per month, with Courtenay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Courtenay

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

12:38 12:38 PM

1 h ahead of Courtenay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,599

1,267,344

💱 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

Courtenay Calgary 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Courtenay
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

Courtenay vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Courtenay is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Courtenay, 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: $1,219 in Courtenay 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 Courtenay – 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 $2,184 per month in Courtenay versus $2,303 in Calgary – Courtenay is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Expats usually find Courtenay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.