Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Darwin versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Darwin $3,073
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,118 in Darwin versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Darwin $4,118
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Darwin $5,163
Calgary $4,428

Living in Darwin is roughly 33% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darwin 126% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.40 A$31.85

$17.55 CA$24.66

27.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 A$129

$70.4 CA$98.9

28.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 A$16.16

$10.69 CA$15.02

6.27%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.01

$3.89 CA$5.46

8.74%

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

$3.46 A$4.92

$2.04 CA$2.86

69.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 A$4.28

$1.88 CA$2.64

60.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 A$10.76

$4.90 CA$6.88

54.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 A$10.77

$5.78 CA$8.12

30.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 A$2.19

$1.96 CA$2.76

-21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 A$4.32

$2.74 CA$3.85

10.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 A$3.13

$5.46 CA$7.68

-59.71%

Eggs

$4.47 A$6.35

$3.69 CA$5.18

21.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.68

$11.24 CA$15.80

-20.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 A$11.82

$11.54 CA$16.21

-27.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 A$12.58

$18.38 CA$25.82

-51.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.47

$4.90 CA$6.89

-21.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.10

$1.42 CA$2.00

102.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$4.21 CA$5.92

-33.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.15

$4.02 CA$5.65

25.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$2.69 CA$3.79

-5.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$2.66 CA$3.74

-13.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 A$2.93

$2.61 CA$3.67

-21.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.09

$1.60 CA$2.24

35.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.35 A$64.5

$14.00 CA$19.67

223.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 A$17.28

$15.40 CA$21.64

-21.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.13 A$14.40

$2.50 CA$3.51

305.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.19

$3.09 CA$4.34

154.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.12

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 A$68.8

$89.3 CA$125

-45.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 A$5.25

$3.27 CA$4.59

12.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.35 CA$1.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.52 A$69.0

$27.39 CA$38.48

77.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.17 CA$1.65

13.68%

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

$30.0K A$42.6K

$27.9K CA$39.3K

7.23%

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

$33.4K A$47.5K

$21.0K CA$29.6K

58.69%

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

$215 A$305

$167 CA$234

28.68%

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

$33.49 A$47.61

$38.27 CA$53.8

-12.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 A$86.7

$50.9 CA$71.6

19.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 A$104

$51.0 CA$71.6

43.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.22 A$40.13

$18.17 CA$25.53

55.31%

Cinema Ticket

$16.99 A$24.16

$14.44 CA$20.29

17.66%

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

$1,939 A$2,756

$545 CA$766

255.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,442 A$12.0K

$16.2K CA$22.8K

-47.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 A$121

$58.9 CA$82.7

44.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 A$66.2

$39.75 CA$55.9

17.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$93.4 CA$131

13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$196

$110 CA$155

25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 A$2,444

$1,254 CA$1,762

37.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,430

$1,056 CA$1,484

61.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 A$3,985

$2,022 CA$2,841

38.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 A$3,021

$1,629 CA$2,288

30.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,771 A$5,363

$3,600 CA$5,059

4.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 A$5,028

$3,243 CA$4,556

9.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,223 A$6,005

$3,115 CA$4,377

35.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

4.51

36.14%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 38.2% $653

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.3%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 4% $15

Eating Out

Darwin

$343 11.2%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 21% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$309 10.1%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 17.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$169 5.5%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 19.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$107 3.5%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 25.3% $27

Getting Around

Darwin

$59 * 1.9%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 88.8% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,719 in Darwin and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darwin pays 36% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Darwin vs $70 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $393, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

04:04 4:04 AM

15 h 30 min behind Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Darwin Calgary 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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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

Darwin vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Darwin, 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: $1,719 in Darwin 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 Calgary – a meal for two runs $70 versus $91 in Darwin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,073 per month in Darwin versus $2,303 in Calgary – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

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