Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guelph and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,693 in Guelph, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Guelph
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Guelph Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Guelph

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,693

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,693 in Guelph versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Guelph $2,693
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,753 in Guelph versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Guelph $3,753
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,814 in Guelph versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Guelph $4,814
Calgary $4,428

Living in Guelph is roughly 17% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guelph 98% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 CA$29.73

$17.55 CA$24.55

21.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 CA$98.9

$70.4 CA$98.5

0.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.61 CA$16.24

$10.69 CA$14.95

8.61%

Cappuccino

$3.49 CA$4.88

$3.89 CA$5.44

-10.28%

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

$1.44 CA$2.01

$2.04 CA$2.85

-29.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.83

$1.88 CA$2.63

-30.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 CA$7.14

$4.90 CA$6.85

4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 CA$8.18

$5.78 CA$8.09

1.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$1.96 CA$2.75

10.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.89

$2.74 CA$3.83

1.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.29

$5.46 CA$7.64

-30.77%

Eggs

$3.06 CA$4.28

$3.69 CA$5.16

-17.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.05

$11.24 CA$15.73

-10.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.01 CA$22.39

$11.54 CA$16.14

38.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.09 CA$30.90

$18.38 CA$25.70

20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.95

$4.90 CA$6.86

-27.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.84

$1.42 CA$1.99

-7.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.08

$4.21 CA$5.89

3.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 CA$6.63

$4.02 CA$5.63

17.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.87

$2.69 CA$3.77

29.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$2.66 CA$3.72

-12.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 CA$4.22

$2.61 CA$3.66

15.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$1.60 CA$2.23

-7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 CA$15.18

$14.00 CA$19.58

-22.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 CA$15.30

$15.40 CA$21.54

-28.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.50 CA$4.90

$2.50 CA$3.49

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CA$4.35

$3.09 CA$4.32

0.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 CA$3.20

$2.93 CA$4.10

-22.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 CA$92.2

$89.3 CA$125

-26.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$3.27 CA$4.57

-28.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 CA$2.57

$1.35 CA$1.89

35.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.94 CA$33.48

$27.39 CA$38.31

-12.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

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

$28.4K CA$39.7K

$27.9K CA$39.1K

1.55%

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

$22.9K CA$32.0K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

8.66%

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

$122 CA$171

$167 CA$233

-26.81%

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

$42.99 CA$60.1

$38.27 CA$53.5

12.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 CA$78.7

$50.9 CA$71.2

10.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 CA$66.4

$51.0 CA$71.3

-6.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.55 CA$20.36

$18.17 CA$25.42

-19.92%

Cinema Ticket

$10.55 CA$14.76

$14.44 CA$20.20

-26.94%

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

$832 CA$1,163

$545 CA$763

52.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K CA$24.0K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

5.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 CA$88.0

$58.9 CA$82.4

6.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 CA$51.1

$39.75 CA$55.6

-8.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 CA$119

$93.4 CA$131

-9.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 CA$174

$110 CA$154

12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 CA$2,119

$1,254 CA$1,754

20.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,472 CA$2,059

$1,056 CA$1,478

39.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 CA$3,027

$2,022 CA$2,828

7.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 CA$2,808

$1,629 CA$2,278

23.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,967 CA$6,947

$3,600 CA$5,036

37.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,356 CA$6,093

$3,243 CA$4,535

34.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,053 CA$4,270

$3,115 CA$4,357

-1.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.51

10.64%

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

Last update for Guelph: October 26, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guelph

$1.5K 54.7%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 28.2% $415

Groceries & Markets

Guelph

$410 15.2%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 4.3% $18

Eating Out

Guelph

$295 11%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 8.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guelph

$221 8.2%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 15.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Guelph

$139 5.2%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 2.1% $2.9

Getting Around

Guelph

$87 3.2%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 28.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Guelph

$69 2.6%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 16.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,515 in Guelph and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71 in Guelph vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $393 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Guelph

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

23:51 11:51 PM

2 h behind Guelph

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,794

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Guelph Calgary 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guelph
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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

Guelph vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,039 in Guelph and $3,454 in Calgary to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,515 in Guelph versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $832 in Guelph versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Guelph runs roughly 26% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Guelph, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.