Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edmonton and Guelph

For one person, living is cheaper in Edmonton: $2,170 a month against $2,574 in Guelph, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Edmonton
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,170
/mo nomad
Guelph
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,574
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edmonton and in Guelph

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

A single person spends $2,170 per month in Edmonton vs $2,574 in Guelph, rent included.

  • Edmonton $2,170
  • Guelph $2,574

A couple spends around $3,160 per month in Edmonton vs $3,642 in Guelph, rent included.

  • Edmonton $3,160
  • Guelph $3,642

A family of three spends $4,150 per month in Edmonton vs $4,711 in Guelph, rent included.

  • Edmonton $4,150
  • Guelph $4,711

Edmonton is about 16% cheaper than Guelph, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edmonton and Guelph sit above the global median – Edmonton by 61%, Guelph by 91%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.45 CA$27.49
$20.94 CA$29.61
-7.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.3 CA$105
$70.8 CA$100
4.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.51 CA$13.45
$11.35 CA$16.04
-16.21%
Cappuccino
$3.96 CA$5.60
$3.27 CA$4.62
21.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 CA$3.25
$1.43 CA$2.02
60.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 CA$2.71
$1.32 CA$1.87
45.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.52 CA$7.81
$4.78 CA$6.75
15.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.24 CA$8.82
$5.69 CA$8.04
9.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 CA$2.17
$2.19 CA$3.10
-30.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.11 CA$2.98
$2.74 CA$3.87
-22.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.90 CA$4.10
$3.55 CA$5.02
-18.31%
Eggs
$3.53 CA$4.99
$3.02 CA$4.26
16.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.95 CA$15.48
$10.03 CA$14.18
9.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.39 CA$16.11
$15.98 CA$22.59
-28.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.22 CA$25.76
$21.72 CA$30.71
-16.11%
Apples (1kg)
$4.16 CA$5.88
$3.48 CA$4.93
19.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 CA$1.95
$1.29 CA$1.82
6.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.31 CA$6.09
$4.28 CA$6.05
0.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.98 CA$5.62
$4.63 CA$6.54
-14.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 CA$2.97
$3.41 CA$4.82
-38.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 CA$2.59
$2.23 CA$3.15
-17.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.33 CA$3.30
$2.84 CA$4.02
-17.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 CA$2.51
$1.48 CA$2.09
19.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.56 CA$19.17
$10.77 CA$15.23
25.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.40 CA$16.12
$10.74 CA$15.18
6.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.46 CA$4.88
$3.46 CA$4.89
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 CA$4.00
$3.11 CA$4.39
-9.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.61 CA$3.68
$2.14 CA$3.02
21.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$70.0 CA$99.0
$64.8 CA$91.7
7.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.81 CA$3.98
$2.33 CA$3.29
20.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 CA$1.89
$1.87 CA$2.64
-28.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.32 CA$30.14
$24.09 CA$34.06
-11.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 CA$1.58
$1.17 CA$1.66
-4.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K CA$38.7K
$27.7K CA$39.2K
-1.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K CA$27.2K
$20.4K CA$28.8K
-5.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 CA$325
$123 CA$174
86.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.84 CA$60.6
$42.11 CA$59.5
1.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.8 CA$74.6
$54.7 CA$77.3
-3.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.96 CA$63.6
$55.1 CA$77.9
-18.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.06 CA$25.53
$14.24 CA$20.14
26.83%
Cinema Ticket
$12.84 CA$18.16
$10.69 CA$15.11
20.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$766 CA$1,083
$796 CA$1,126
-3.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,441 CA$13.3K
$16.6K CA$23.4K
-43.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.07 CA$62.3
$62.5 CA$88.3
-29.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.73 CA$64.7
$36.00 CA$50.9
27.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.1 CA$119
$86.2 CA$122
-2.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.9 CA$136
$124 CA$176
-22.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,086 CA$1,535
$1,442 CA$2,038
-24.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$915 CA$1,293
$1,361 CA$1,925
-32.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,704 CA$2,409
$2,044 CA$2,890
-16.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,386 CA$1,960
$1,921 CA$2,716
-27.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,206 CA$3,119
$4,782 CA$6,760
-53.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,983 CA$2,804
$4,727 CA$6,682
-58.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Edmonton
Guelph
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,595 CA$5,083
$3,174 CA$4,487
13.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.32
4.99
-13.43%

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

Last update for Edmonton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guelph: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Edmonton
$915
Guelph
$1.4K 48.8% $446
Groceries & Markets
Edmonton
$359
Guelph
$405 12.8% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edmonton
$326
Guelph
$220 32.4% $105
Eating Out
Edmonton
$289
Guelph
$287 0.5% $1.5
Clothing & Footwear
Edmonton
$121
Guelph
$139 14.5% $18
Getting Around
Edmonton
$90
Guelph
$85 5.4% $4.9
Sport & Entertainment
Edmonton
$71
Guelph
$77 8.3% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,086 in Edmonton versus $1,442 in Guelph. 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 13% higher in Edmonton, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Edmonton versus $71.0 in Guelph. Groceries tell a different story – $359 in Edmonton vs $405 in Guelph – so Edmonton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Edmonton
🇨🇦 Guelph
🕒 Local time
10:30 10:30 AM
12:30 12:30 PM
2 h ahead of Edmonton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,010,899
131,794
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
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  • Edmonton Guelph 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Edmonton
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Edmonton vs Guelph: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Edmonton and in Guelph compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,170 in Edmonton, $2,574 in Guelph – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Edmonton compared to Guelph?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,255 per month in Edmonton and $3,861 in Guelph. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Edmonton and Guelph?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Edmonton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Edmonton or Guelph?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,170 in Edmonton and $2,574 in Guelph. That's a gap of about 19%.
How do commuting costs compare in Edmonton and in Guelph?
Public transport costs about 8% less in Edmonton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Edmonton, where all-in costs run around $2,170, than in Guelph at $2,574. In Edmonton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guelph it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Edmonton or Guelph?
Families tend to lean toward Edmonton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Edmonton and Guelph?
If budget matters most, go with Edmonton. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guelph makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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