Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iqaluit, NU and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Iqaluit, NU
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Iqaluit, NU Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Iqaluit, NU

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,934

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Iqaluit, NU $2,934
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,585 in Iqaluit, NU versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Iqaluit, NU $4,585
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,236 in Iqaluit, NU versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Iqaluit, NU $6,236
Calgary $4,379

Living in Iqaluit, NU is roughly 32% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iqaluit, NU 117% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.82 CA$37.92

$17.22 CA$24.34

55.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 CA$89.6

$71.1 CA$100

-10.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.91 CA$18.25

$10.53 CA$14.89

22.60%

Cappuccino

$7.02 CA$9.92

$3.66 CA$5.18

91.80%

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

$3.71 CA$5.25

$1.98 CA$2.80

87.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$1.94 CA$2.74

-16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 CA$9.51

$4.95 CA$7.00

35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 CA$7.70

$5.57 CA$7.87

-2.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.88 CA$2.65

29.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$2.67 CA$3.78

-4.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$5.32 CA$7.52

-40.23%

Eggs

$3.41 CA$4.82

$3.79 CA$5.35

-10.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 CA$13.73

$11.09 CA$15.68

-12.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.07 CA$18.48

$11.36 CA$16.05

15.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 CA$20.47

$18.40 CA$26.01

-21.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$4.56 CA$6.45

-18.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.89

$1.44 CA$2.04

-7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CA$5.06

$4.08 CA$5.76

-12.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.38

$3.89 CA$5.50

-2.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.40

$2.64 CA$3.73

-8.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CA$3.06

$2.64 CA$3.73

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 CA$3.35

$2.50 CA$3.54

-5.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.50 CA$2.12

5.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.62

$14.05 CA$19.86

-1.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.82 CA$18.12

$15.70 CA$22.20

-18.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 CA$3.60

$2.44 CA$3.45

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$3.09 CA$4.37

-2.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 CA$3.15

$2.82 CA$3.99

-20.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 CA$87.0

$88.6 CA$125

-30.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 CA$9.28

$3.12 CA$4.41

110.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.35 CA$1.91

2.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 CA$28.56

$27.02 CA$38.20

-25.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.61

$1.16 CA$1.64

-1.72%

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

$38.0K CA$53.7K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

36.23%

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

$30.1K CA$42.5K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

47.85%

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

$114 CA$161

$161 CA$227

-29.21%

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

$38.71 CA$54.7

$38.13 CA$53.9

1.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 CA$75.8

$50.0 CA$70.7

7.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 CA$57.4

$51.5 CA$72.8

-21.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 CA$24.90

$18.14 CA$25.64

-2.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 CA$11.44

$13.82 CA$19.54

-41.46%

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

$755 CA$1,067

$786 CA$1,111

-3.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-15.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 CA$74.5

$58.3 CA$82.4

-9.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.18 CA$54.0

$39.27 CA$55.5

-2.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 CA$121

$89.8 CA$127

-4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$145

$110 CA$155

-6.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 CA$2,475

$1,229 CA$1,737

42.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 CA$2,404

$1,001 CA$1,415

69.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,877 CA$4,068

$1,921 CA$2,716

49.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,448 CA$4,874

$1,621 CA$2,292

112.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 CA$6,011

$3,549 CA$5,018

19.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,525 CA$4,983

$3,335 CA$4,715

5.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 CA$5,845

$3,165 CA$4,474

30.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

4.51

17.96%

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

Last update for Iqaluit, NU: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iqaluit, NU

$1.7K 58%

Calgary

$1K 45% 41.1% $699

Eating Out

Iqaluit, NU

$403 13.8%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 34.3% $139

Groceries & Markets

Iqaluit, NU

$358 12.2%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 7.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iqaluit, NU

$206 7%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 20.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Iqaluit, NU

$125 4.3%

Calgary

$134 6% 6.6% $8.3

Getting Around

Iqaluit, NU

$84 2.9%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 30.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Iqaluit, NU

$57 1.9%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 39.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iqaluit, NU pays 31% 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: $63.0 in Iqaluit, NU vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $385 per month, with Iqaluit, NU cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Iqaluit, NU

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

20:21 8:21 PM

2 h behind Iqaluit, NU

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Iqaluit, NU Calgary 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Iqaluit, NU
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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

Iqaluit, NU vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Iqaluit, NU, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU 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 $63.0 in Iqaluit, NU. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,934 per month in Iqaluit, NU versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Iqaluit, NU. 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 32% less than in Iqaluit, NU. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.