Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort McMurray and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Fort McMurray and in Calgary: $2,242 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Fort McMurray
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Fort McMurray Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Fort McMurray

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,242

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,242 in Fort McMurray versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Fort McMurray $2,242
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,323 in Fort McMurray versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Fort McMurray $3,323
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,404 in Fort McMurray versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Fort McMurray $4,404
Calgary $4,379

Living in Fort McMurray is roughly 1% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort McMurray 66% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.90 CA$29.54

$17.22 CA$24.34

21.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 CA$78.9

$71.1 CA$100

-21.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.79 CA$19.50

$10.53 CA$14.89

30.96%

Cappuccino

$3.88 CA$5.49

$3.66 CA$5.18

6.01%

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

$2.37 CA$3.35

$1.98 CA$2.80

19.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.14

$1.94 CA$2.74

-21.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 CA$8.10

$4.95 CA$7.00

15.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 CA$7.53

$5.57 CA$7.87

-4.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$1.88 CA$2.65

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.82

$2.67 CA$3.78

1.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.27

$5.32 CA$7.52

-43.23%

Eggs

$2.98 CA$4.21

$3.79 CA$5.35

-21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 CA$18.38

$11.09 CA$15.68

17.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.01 CA$18.39

$11.36 CA$16.05

14.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.80 CA$27.99

$18.40 CA$26.01

7.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.28

$4.56 CA$6.45

-2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.44 CA$2.04

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 CA$7.33

$4.08 CA$5.76

27.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.60 CA$9.34

$3.89 CA$5.50

69.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.17

$2.64 CA$3.73

38.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$2.64 CA$3.73

49.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.99 CA$4.22

$2.50 CA$3.54

19.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.50 CA$2.12

-9.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.66 CA$22.13

$14.05 CA$19.86

11.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 CA$19.92

$15.70 CA$22.20

-10.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.24 CA$5.99

$2.44 CA$3.45

73.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 CA$4.93

$3.09 CA$4.37

12.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$2.82 CA$3.99

-51.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.42 CA$69.9

$88.6 CA$125

-44.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 CA$5.05

$3.12 CA$4.41

14.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CA$1.57

$1.35 CA$1.91

-17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.27 CA$45.62

$27.02 CA$38.20

19.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.16 CA$1.64

-8.62%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-2.22%

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

$21.2K CA$29.9K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

3.95%

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

$190 CA$269

$161 CA$227

18.45%

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

$48.41 CA$68.4

$38.13 CA$53.9

26.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 CA$86.4

$50.0 CA$70.7

22.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.19 CA$61.1

$51.5 CA$72.8

-16.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.77 CA$12.40

$18.14 CA$25.64

-51.65%

Cinema Ticket

$12.46 CA$17.62

$13.82 CA$19.54

-9.84%

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

$559 CA$790

$786 CA$1,111

-28.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 CA$93.8

$58.3 CA$82.4

13.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 CA$49.95

$39.27 CA$55.5

-10.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 CA$109

$89.8 CA$127

-13.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.2 CA$120

$110 CA$155

-22.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 CA$1,281

$1,229 CA$1,737

-26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$965 CA$1,364

$1,001 CA$1,415

-3.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 CA$2,250

$1,921 CA$2,716

-17.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 CA$2,340

$1,621 CA$2,292

2.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,598 CA$3,673

$3,549 CA$5,018

-26.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,865 CA$2,636

$3,335 CA$4,715

-44.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,042 CA$4,300

$3,165 CA$4,474

-3.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.51

5.76%

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

Last update for Fort McMurray: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort McMurray

$965 43%

Calgary

$1K 45% 3.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Fort McMurray

$416 18.6%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 7.3% $30

Eating Out

Fort McMurray

$310 13.8%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 14.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort McMurray

$300 13.4%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 17% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Fort McMurray

$119 5.3%

Calgary

$134 6% 12.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Fort McMurray

$68 3%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 16.2% $11

Getting Around

Fort McMurray

$64 2.9%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 71.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $906 in Fort McMurray and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary 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: $56.0 in Fort McMurray vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $416 vs $385, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Fort McMurray

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

Same time as Fort McMurray

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,573

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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Between locations

Fort McMurray Calgary 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort McMurray
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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

Fort McMurray vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Calgary. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $906 in Fort McMurray versus $1,229 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 $71.0 versus $56.0 in Fort McMurray. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,242 per month in Fort McMurray versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,242 in Fort McMurray, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Fort McMurray. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Fort McMurray. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.