Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isabela and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,271 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,271

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Isabela versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Isabela $1,271
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,989 in Isabela versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Isabela $1,989
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,707 in Isabela versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Isabela $2,707
Calgary $4,379

Living in Isabela costs roughly 43% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isabela is 6% below, Calgary is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.06 $19.06

$17.22 CA$24.34

10.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 $82.1

$71.1 CA$100

15.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$10.53 CA$14.89

-12.25%

Cappuccino

$3.67 $3.67

$3.66 CA$5.18

0.27%

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

$1.89 $1.89

$1.98 CA$2.80

-4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.94 CA$2.74

-24.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$4.95 CA$7.00

-37.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$5.57 CA$7.87

-8.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.88 CA$2.65

3.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.67 CA$3.78

8.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$5.32 CA$7.52

-77.07%

Eggs

$2.95 $2.95

$3.79 CA$5.35

-22.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$11.09 CA$15.68

-0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$11.36 CA$16.05

-42.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.14 $13.14

$18.40 CA$26.01

-28.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$4.56 CA$6.45

-5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.44 CA$2.04

76.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$4.08 CA$5.76

22.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.89 CA$5.50

25.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.64 CA$3.73

47.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.64 CA$3.73

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.50 CA$3.54

34.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.50 CA$2.12

5.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.06 $12.06

$14.05 CA$19.86

-14.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.85 $15.85

$15.70 CA$22.20

0.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.44 CA$3.45

28.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.09 CA$4.37

28.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.12 CA$4.41

-18.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.35 CA$1.91

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.80 $41.80

$27.02 CA$38.20

54.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.16 CA$1.64

-29.31%

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

$40.2K $40.2K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

43.89%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

36.35%

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

$326 $326

$161 CA$227

102.74%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$38.13 CA$53.9

79.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$50.0 CA$70.7

41.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$10.54 $10.54

$13.82 CA$19.54

-23.73%

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

$814 $814

$786 CA$1,111

3.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-19.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 $57.2

$58.3 CA$82.4

-1.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 $60.9

$39.27 CA$55.5

54.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$89.8 CA$127

19.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$110 CA$155

4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

4.51

45.23%

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

Last update for Isabela: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isabela

$465 36.6%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 46.5% $216

Groceries & Markets

Isabela

$359 28.2%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 7.3% $26

Eating Out

Isabela

$263 20.7%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 0.6% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Isabela

$153 12%

Calgary

$134 6% 12.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Isabela

$21 * 1.7%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 276% $58

Getting Around

Isabela

$10 * 0.8%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 976% $100

Accommodation & Living

Isabela

- * 0%

Calgary

$1K 45%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $82.0 in Isabela vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $359 vs $385, with Isabela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Isabela

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

12:51 12:51 PM

2 h behind Isabela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,000

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Isabela Calgary 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Isabela
Calgary

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

Isabela vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,907 in Isabela and $3,335 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.

Childcare runs $814 in Isabela versus $786 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Isabela – a meal for two runs $82.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,271 in Isabela versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Isabela but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Isabela 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.

Safety-wise, Isabela and Calgary are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Isabela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.