Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edmonton and Essen

For one person, living is cheaper in Essen: $1,982 a month against $2,170 in Edmonton, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Edmonton outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

105

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index

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Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,170

/mo nomad

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edmonton and in Essen

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 Essen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,170 per month in Edmonton vs $1,982 in Essen, rent included.

Edmonton $2,170
Essen $1,982

A couple spends around $3,160 per month in Edmonton vs $3,088 in Essen, rent included.

Edmonton $3,160
Essen $3,088

A family of three spends $4,150 per month in Edmonton vs $4,195 in Essen, rent included.

Edmonton $4,150
Essen $4,195

Edmonton costs about 10% more than Essen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Edmonton and Essen sit above the global median – Edmonton by 61%, Essen by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.45 CA$27.49

$20.00 €17.79

-2.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 CA$105

$88.1 €78.4

-15.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 CA$13.45

$13.38 €11.90

-28.92%

Cappuccino

$3.96 CA$5.60

$3.88 €3.45

2.06%

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

$2.30 CA$3.25

$3.13 €2.78

-26.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.62 €2.33

-26.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 CA$7.81

$6.09 €5.42

-9.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$5.74 €5.11

8.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 CA$2.17

$1.21 €1.07

26.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 CA$2.98

$2.18 €1.94

-3.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 CA$4.10

$3.39 €3.02

-14.45%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$4.99

$3.68 €3.27

-4.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 CA$15.48

$16.14 €14.36

-32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.39 CA$16.11

$10.50 €9.34

8.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.22 CA$25.76

$24.76 €22.02

-26.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.88

$3.37 €2.99

23.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$2.09 €1.86

-33.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 CA$6.09

$2.25 €2.00

91.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.62

$3.91 €3.48

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.30 €1.16

61.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.59

$1.28 €1.14

42.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 CA$3.30

$1.54 €1.37

51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CA$2.51

$1.20 €1.07

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.56 CA$19.17

$9.51 €8.45

42.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 CA$16.12

$5.60 €4.98

103.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 CA$4.88

$1.08 €0.96

220.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$1.50 €1.33

88.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$4.09 €3.64

-36.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.0 CA$99.0

$65.6 €58.4

6.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.98

$4.93 €4.38

-43.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 CA$1.89

$3.49 €3.10

-61.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.14

$39.38 €35.02

-45.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.58

$2.19 €1.95

-48.86%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$32.2K €28.6K

-14.93%

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

$19.2K CA$27.2K

$38.4K €34.1K

-49.89%

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

$230 CA$325

$386 €344

-40.47%

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

$42.84 CA$60.6

$38.73 €34.45

10.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 CA$74.6

$40.40 €35.93

30.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.96 CA$63.6

$40.94 €36.41

9.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 CA$25.53

$36.05 €32.06

-49.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.84 CA$18.16

$15.31 €13.62

-16.13%

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

$766 CA$1,083

$459 €408

66.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,441 CA$13.3K

$9,430 €8,387

0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.07 CA$62.3

$96.6 €85.9

-54.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 CA$64.7

$82.1 €73.1

-44.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 CA$119

$110 €97.6

-23.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 CA$136

$156 €139

-38.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 CA$1,535

$637 €567

70.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 CA$1,293

$487 €433

87.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 CA$2,409

$1,404 €1,249

21.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 CA$1,960

$969 €862

43.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,206 CA$3,119

$4,704 €4,184

-53.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,983 CA$2,804

$3,045 €2,708

-34.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,595 CA$5,083

$2,999 €2,668

19.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

3.95

9.37%

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

Last update for Edmonton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Essen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edmonton

$915 42.2%

Essen

$487 24.6% 46.8% $428

Groceries & Markets

Edmonton

$359 16.6%

Essen

$342 17.3% 4.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edmonton

$326 15%

Essen

$465 23.5% 43% $140

Eating Out

Edmonton

$289 13.3%

Essen

$312 15.7% 8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Edmonton

$121 5.6%

Essen

$200 10.1% 64.7% $79

Getting Around

Edmonton

$90 4.1%

Essen

$104 5.3% 16% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Edmonton

$71 3.3%

Essen

$72 3.6% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,086 in Edmonton versus $637 in Essen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Edmonton, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Edmonton versus $88.0 in Essen. Groceries tell a different story – $359 in Edmonton vs $342 in Essen – so Essen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🇩🇪 Essen

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

15:41 3:41 PM

8 h ahead of Edmonton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,899

569,884

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Edmonton Essen 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Essen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,170 in Edmonton, $1,982 in Essen – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,255 per month in Edmonton and $2,972 in Essen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Essen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,170 in Edmonton and $1,982 in Essen. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Essen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Essen, where all-in costs run around $1,982, than in Edmonton at $2,170. In Essen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edmonton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Essen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Essen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edmonton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.