Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edmonton and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Edmonton and in Calgary: $2,181 and $2,255 a month, rent and utilities included.

106

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,181

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,181 in Edmonton versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Edmonton $2,181
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,217 in Edmonton versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Edmonton $3,217
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,252 in Edmonton versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Edmonton $4,252
Calgary $4,468

Living in Edmonton costs roughly 3% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edmonton 61% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 CA$28.58

$17.58 CA$24.85

15.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 CA$108

$69.1 CA$97.6

10.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 CA$13.96

$10.59 CA$14.97

-6.80%

Cappuccino

$3.96 CA$5.60

$3.84 CA$5.42

3.13%

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

$2.27 CA$3.22

$1.93 CA$2.72

17.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$1.88 CA$2.66

9.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 CA$8.28

$5.09 CA$7.20

15.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 CA$9.16

$5.64 CA$7.97

14.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$2.00 CA$2.82

-19.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.78 CA$3.93

-23.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.32

$5.59 CA$7.90

-45.26%

Eggs

$3.43 CA$4.85

$3.70 CA$5.23

-7.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 CA$15.18

$11.48 CA$16.23

-6.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 CA$15.85

$11.20 CA$15.84

0.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.92 CA$26.75

$18.59 CA$26.28

1.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.86

$4.70 CA$6.64

-11.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 CA$1.90

$1.45 CA$2.05

-6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 CA$6.18

$4.34 CA$6.13

0.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.54

$3.79 CA$5.36

3.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$2.69 CA$3.81

-18.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 CA$2.60

$2.75 CA$3.88

-33.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$2.56 CA$3.62

-5.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 CA$2.57

$1.50 CA$2.12

21.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$20.12

$14.39 CA$20.34

-1.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$15.81 CA$22.35

-28.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 CA$5.00

$2.47 CA$3.49

43.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$3.10 CA$4.39

-7.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$2.81 CA$3.97

-4.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 CA$101

$90.6 CA$128

-21.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 CA$4.04

$3.28 CA$4.64

-12.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$1.40 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.46 CA$30.34

$26.49 CA$37.45

-18.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.22 CA$1.72

-5.74%

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

$27.9K CA$39.4K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-1.73%

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

$20.5K CA$29.0K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

-1.59%

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

$233 CA$330

$165 CA$233

41.75%

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

$43.26 CA$61.2

$38.24 CA$54.1

13.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CA$77.7

$50.1 CA$70.9

9.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 CA$65.1

$53.8 CA$76.1

-14.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 CA$25.60

$18.04 CA$25.51

0.39%

Cinema Ticket

$12.46 CA$17.62

$14.04 CA$19.84

-11.25%

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

$757 CA$1,070

$797 CA$1,126

-4.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,641 CA$13.6K

$15.8K CA$22.3K

-39.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.56 CA$61.6

$59.1 CA$83.5

-26.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.08 CA$66.6

$40.20 CA$56.8

17.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 CA$123

$90.8 CA$128

-3.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.3 CA$135

$109 CA$155

-12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 CA$1,546

$1,207 CA$1,707

-9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 CA$1,276

$1,011 CA$1,429

-10.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 CA$2,412

$1,949 CA$2,756

-12.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$1,677 CA$2,371

-14.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,205 CA$3,117

$3,532 CA$4,993

-37.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,983 CA$2,803

$3,392 CA$4,795

-41.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,499 CA$4,947

$3,152 CA$4,456

11.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

4.51

-4.21%

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

Last update for Edmonton: October 18, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edmonton

$903 41.4%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 12% $108

Groceries & Markets

Edmonton

$362 16.6%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 8.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edmonton

$332 15.2%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 23.7% $79

Eating Out

Edmonton

$299 13.7%

Calgary

$270 12% 9.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Edmonton

$123 5.6%

Calgary

$135 6% 9.6% $12

Getting Around

Edmonton

$92 4.2%

Calgary

$112 5% 21.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Edmonton

$71 3.3%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 15.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,094 in Edmonton and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edmonton pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76.0 in Edmonton vs $69.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $392, with Edmonton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

Same time as Edmonton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,899

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Edmonton vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edmonton is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Edmonton, 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: $1,094 in Edmonton versus $1,207 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Edmonton – a meal for two runs $76.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,181 per month in Edmonton versus $2,255 in Calgary – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,181 in Edmonton versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Edmonton but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Edmonton 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 Edmonton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.