Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnson City, TN and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Johnson City, TN: $2,099 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
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Johnson City, TN Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,099

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,099 in Johnson City, TN versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Johnson City, TN $2,099
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,126 in Johnson City, TN versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Johnson City, TN $3,126
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,153 in Johnson City, TN versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Johnson City, TN $4,153
Calgary $4,379

Living in Johnson City, TN costs roughly 6% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Johnson City, TN 55% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 $14.27

$17.22 CA$24.34

-17.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 $54.1

$71.1 CA$100

-23.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 $9.89

$10.53 CA$14.89

-6.08%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.66 CA$5.18

45.36%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.98 CA$2.80

48.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.94 CA$2.74

0.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.95 CA$7.00

-1.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 $5.86

$5.57 CA$7.87

5.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.88 CA$2.65

-46.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.67 CA$3.78

46.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$5.32 CA$7.52

-27.26%

Eggs

$3.20 $3.20

$3.79 CA$5.35

-15.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.31 $7.31

$11.09 CA$15.68

-34.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.57 $13.57

$11.36 CA$16.05

19.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$18.40 CA$26.01

-29.40%

Apples (1kg)

$7.75 $7.75

$4.56 CA$6.45

69.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.44 CA$2.04

24.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$4.08 CA$5.76

-3.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.89 CA$5.50

-7.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.64 CA$3.73

32.58%

Onion (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.64 CA$3.73

59.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.50 CA$3.54

-10.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.50 CA$2.12

54.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.06 $8.06

$14.05 CA$19.86

-42.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.10 $13.10

$15.70 CA$22.20

-16.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.44 CA$3.45

-30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.09 CA$4.37

43.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.82 CA$3.99

-12.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.08 $37.08

$88.6 CA$125

-58.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.12 CA$4.41

72.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.35 CA$1.91

9.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.07 $15.07

$27.02 CA$38.20

-44.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.16 CA$1.64

-24.14%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

14.98%

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

$21.7K $21.7K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

6.48%

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

$176 $176

$161 CA$227

9.56%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$38.13 CA$53.9

36.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 $63.3

$50.0 CA$70.7

26.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$51.5 CA$72.8

-7.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.61 $19.61

$18.14 CA$25.64

8.10%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 $11.77

$13.82 CA$19.54

-14.83%

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

$1,224 $1,224

$786 CA$1,111

55.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K $14.6K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-5.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.93 $36.93

$58.3 CA$82.4

-36.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.74 $30.74

$39.27 CA$55.5

-21.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$89.8 CA$127

-3.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.3 $95.3

$110 CA$155

-13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 $1,085

$1,229 CA$1,737

-11.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 $912

$1,001 CA$1,415

-8.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 $2,031

$1,921 CA$2,716

5.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 $1,583

$1,621 CA$2,292

-2.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,201 $2,201

$3,549 CA$5,018

-37.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,159 $2,159

$3,335 CA$4,715

-35.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,505 $3,505

$3,165 CA$4,474

10.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

4.51

43.90%

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

Last update for Johnson City, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johnson City, TN

$912 43.5%

Calgary

$1K 45% 9.8% $89

Groceries & Markets

Johnson City, TN

$389 18.5%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 0.9% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnson City, TN

$291 13.9%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 14.6% $43

Eating Out

Johnson City, TN

$263 12.6%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 0.5% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Johnson City, TN

$112 5.4%

Calgary

$134 6% 18.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.4%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 11.4% $8.1

Getting Around

Johnson City, TN

$60 2.8%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 83.9% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,085 in Johnson City, TN and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johnson City, TN pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $54.0 in Johnson City, TN vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $385, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

2 h behind Johnson City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,027

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Johnson City, TN Calgary 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Johnson City, TN
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

Johnson City, TN vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johnson City, TN is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Johnson City, TN, 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: $1,085 in Johnson City, TN 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 Johnson City, TN – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,099 per month in Johnson City, TN versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,099 in Johnson City, TN versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Johnson City, TN but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Johnson City, TN 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, Johnson City, TN 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 Johnson City, TN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.