Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort St John, BC and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort St John, BC: $1,949 a month against $2,255 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Calgary outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Fort St John, BC $1,949
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,002 in Fort St John, BC versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Fort St John, BC $3,002
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,055 in Fort St John, BC versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Fort St John, BC $4,055
Calgary $4,468

Living in Fort St John, BC costs roughly 14% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort St John, BC 44% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 CA$25.02

$17.58 CA$24.85

0.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.02 CA$59.4

$69.1 CA$97.6

-39.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 CA$13.22

$10.59 CA$14.97

-11.71%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.49

$3.84 CA$5.42

1.30%

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

$1.82 CA$2.58

$1.93 CA$2.72

-5.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.73

$1.88 CA$2.66

-35.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 CA$8.75

$5.09 CA$7.20

21.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 CA$6.38

$5.64 CA$7.97

-20.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.34 CA$4.72

$2.00 CA$2.82

67.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 CA$3.94

$2.78 CA$3.93

0.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.17

$5.59 CA$7.90

-34.53%

Eggs

$4.18 CA$5.90

$3.70 CA$5.23

12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 CA$16.99

$11.48 CA$16.23

4.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 CA$19.36

$11.20 CA$15.84

22.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.57 CA$26.26

$18.59 CA$26.28

-0.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.73 CA$8.10

$4.70 CA$6.64

21.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 CA$1.03

$1.45 CA$2.05

-49.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$4.34 CA$6.13

-13.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.11

$3.79 CA$5.36

-4.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.98

$2.69 CA$3.81

4.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.90

$2.75 CA$3.88

0.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 CA$3.03

$2.56 CA$3.62

-16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.57

$1.50 CA$2.12

68.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.36 CA$20.29

$14.39 CA$20.34

-0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.42 CA$30.29

$15.81 CA$22.35

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 CA$6.85

$2.47 CA$3.49

96.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 CA$7.91

$3.10 CA$4.39

80.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.81 CA$3.97

-48.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.86 CA$40.80

$90.6 CA$128

-68.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.22 CA$1.72

2.46%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

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

$126 CA$178

$165 CA$233

-23.60%

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

$101 CA$142

$38.24 CA$54.1

162.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 CA$86.2

$50.1 CA$70.9

21.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.48 CA$19.06

$53.8 CA$76.1

-74.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.94

$14.04 CA$19.84

-24.79%

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

$697 CA$985

$797 CA$1,126

-12.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 CA$101

$59.1 CA$83.5

20.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.43 CA$67.0

$40.20 CA$56.8

17.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 CA$148

$90.8 CA$128

15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 CA$202

$109 CA$155

30.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 CA$1,036

$1,207 CA$1,707

-39.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 CA$1,002

$1,011 CA$1,429

-29.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 CA$2,180

$1,949 CA$2,756

-20.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 CA$1,971

$1,677 CA$2,371

-16.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,291 CA$1,824

$3,532 CA$4,993

-63.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,094 CA$4,374

$3,152 CA$4,456

-1.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

4.51

35.25%

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

Last update for Fort St John, BC: 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

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 42.6% $302

Groceries & Markets

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 13% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 11.9% $34

Eating Out

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8%

Calgary

$270 12% 0.7% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5%

Calgary

$135 6% 18.3% $30

Getting Around

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8%

Calgary

$112 5% 224% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 137% $47

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 $733 in Fort St John, BC and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42.00 in Fort St John, BC vs $69.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $450 vs $392, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

1 h ahead of Fort St John, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,609

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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Fort St John, BC Calgary 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Fort St John, BC
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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

Fort St John, BC vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 2% 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: $733 in Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,949 per month in Fort St John, BC versus $2,255 in Calgary – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,949 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fort St John, BC but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.