Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jersey City, NJ and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $3,853 in Jersey City, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

186

Cost of Living Index in Jersey City, NJ
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Jersey City, NJ Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Jersey City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,853

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,853 in Jersey City, NJ versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Jersey City, NJ $3,853
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,294 in Jersey City, NJ versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Jersey City, NJ $5,294
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,736 in Jersey City, NJ versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Jersey City, NJ $6,736
Calgary $4,493

Living in Jersey City, NJ is roughly 73% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jersey City, NJ 188% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.71 $24.71

$17.22 CA$24.54

43.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$71.2 CA$101

38.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$10.56 CA$15.06

2.37%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$3.77 CA$5.38

44.30%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$1.91 CA$2.73

12.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.84 CA$2.63

-16.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.24 $8.24

$4.86 CA$6.93

69.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$5.55 CA$7.91

44.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.88 CA$2.68

-29.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.73 CA$3.89

52.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$5.34 CA$7.61

38.20%

Eggs

$5.77 $5.77

$3.77 CA$5.37

53.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 $12.64

$11.29 CA$16.09

11.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 $11.78

$11.46 CA$16.34

2.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 $17.24

$18.26 CA$26.03

-5.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$4.64 CA$6.62

17.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.44 CA$2.05

24.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$4.22 CA$6.02

47.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.86 CA$5.50

57.51%

Potato (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$2.62 CA$3.74

116.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.66 CA$3.79

41.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.59 CA$3.69

9.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.53 CA$2.19

83.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.61 $11.61

$14.26 CA$20.32

-18.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.79 $24.79

$15.27 CA$21.76

62.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.41 CA$3.44

-26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 $5.53

$3.09 CA$4.41

78.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.88 CA$4.11

2.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

$88.7 CA$126

19.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.23 CA$4.61

-7.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.38 CA$1.97

52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.65 $23.65

$26.49 CA$37.75

-10.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.18 CA$1.68

-10.17%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$28.3K CA$40.3K

28.92%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

22.77%

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

$212 $212

$159 CA$227

33.27%

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

$73.1 $73.1

$37.61 CA$53.6

94.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 $66.0

$49.68 CA$70.8

32.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 $57.4

$53.3 CA$75.9

7.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.80 $42.80

$18.31 CA$26.10

133.75%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 $14.67

$14.08 CA$20.06

4.19%

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

$2,209 $2,209

$809 CA$1,154

172.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$15.9K CA$22.6K

49.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.79 $40.79

$58.8 CA$83.8

-30.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 $56.8

$38.84 CA$55.4

46.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$91.4 CA$130

-17.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$109 CA$155

45.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,536 $3,536

$1,237 CA$1,764

185.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$996 CA$1,420

128.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,505 $5,505

$1,908 CA$2,720

188.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,255 $3,255

$1,671 CA$2,382

94.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,925 $7,925

$3,530 CA$5,032

124.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,476 $5,476

$3,336 CA$4,755

64.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,281 $6,281

$3,130 CA$4,461

100.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.51

49.67%

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

Last update for Jersey City, NJ: October 4, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jersey City, NJ

$2.3K 59.1%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 56.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Jersey City, NJ

$488 12.7%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 20.7% $101

Eating Out

Jersey City, NJ

$367 9.6%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 27.8% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jersey City, NJ

$351 9.1%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 29.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Jersey City, NJ

$150 3.9%

Calgary

$134 6% 10.3% $15

Getting Around

Jersey City, NJ

$131 3.4%

Calgary

$110 5% 15.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Jersey City, NJ

$87 2.3%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 6.1% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,536 in Jersey City, NJ and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jersey City, NJ pays 101% 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: $98.0 in Jersey City, NJ vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $387 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jersey City, NJ

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

2 h behind Jersey City, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,449

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Jersey City, NJ Calgary 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Jersey City, NJ
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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

Jersey City, NJ vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 73% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 101% higher in Jersey City, NJ, 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: $3,536 in Jersey City, NJ versus $1,237 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 $98.0 in Jersey City, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,853 per month in Jersey City, NJ versus $2,232 in Calgary – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $3,853 in Jersey City, NJ, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Jersey City, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Jersey City, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.