Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joliette and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Joliette: $1,717 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Joliette, Canada
Calgary, Canada
Joliette
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,717
/mo nomad
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,717 in Joliette versus $2,303 in Calgary.

  • Joliette $1,717
  • Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,639 in Joliette versus $3,366 in Calgary.

  • Joliette $2,639
  • Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,562 in Joliette versus $4,428 in Calgary.

  • Joliette $3,562
  • Calgary $4,428

Living in Joliette costs roughly 25% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Joliette 26% above, Calgary 69% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.02 CA$25.32
$17.55 CA$24.66
2.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.9 CA$74.3
$70.4 CA$98.9
-24.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 CA$15.05
$10.69 CA$15.02
0.19%
Cappuccino
$2.53 CA$3.56
$3.89 CA$5.46
-34.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 CA$2.90
$2.04 CA$2.86
0.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 CA$2.44
$1.88 CA$2.64
-7.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.22 CA$5.94
$4.90 CA$6.88
-13.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.44 CA$9.05
$5.78 CA$8.12
11.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.39 CA$3.36
$1.96 CA$2.76
21.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.55 CA$3.58
$2.74 CA$3.85
-6.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.02 CA$4.24
$5.46 CA$7.68
-44.69%
Eggs
$2.54 CA$3.56
$3.69 CA$5.18
-31.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.79 CA$16.56
$11.24 CA$15.80
4.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.90 CA$16.71
$11.54 CA$16.21
3.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.70 CA$26.27
$18.38 CA$25.82
1.74%
Apples (1kg)
$3.63 CA$5.10
$4.90 CA$6.89
-25.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 CA$1.86
$1.42 CA$2.00
-6.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 CA$5.45
$4.21 CA$5.92
-7.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.43 CA$4.81
$4.02 CA$5.65
-14.68%
Potato (1kg)
$2.60 CA$3.65
$2.69 CA$3.79
-3.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.40 CA$3.37
$2.66 CA$3.74
-9.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.61 CA$2.26
$2.61 CA$3.67
-38.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 CA$2.08
$1.60 CA$2.24
-7.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.09 CA$19.80
$14.00 CA$19.67
0.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.46 CA$17.51
$15.40 CA$21.64
-19.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.53 CA$3.56
$2.50 CA$3.51
1.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 CA$4.37
$3.09 CA$4.34
0.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.20 CA$3.08
$2.93 CA$4.12
-24.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.0 CA$81.5
$89.3 CA$125
-35.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.72 CA$3.82
$3.27 CA$4.59
-16.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 CA$2.05
$1.35 CA$1.90
8.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.01 CA$26.71
$27.39 CA$38.48
-30.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 CA$1.37
$1.17 CA$1.65
-17.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K CA$38.6K
$27.9K CA$39.3K
-1.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K CA$31.7K
$21.0K CA$29.6K
7.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 CA$198
$167 CA$234
-15.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.90 CA$51.9
$38.27 CA$53.8
-3.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.7 CA$71.2
$50.9 CA$71.6
-0.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.60 CA$59.9
$51.0 CA$71.6
-16.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 CA$26.97
$18.17 CA$25.53
5.61%
Cinema Ticket
$13.01 CA$18.27
$14.44 CA$20.29
-9.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$809 CA$1,137
$545 CA$766
48.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K CA$22.5K
$16.2K CA$22.8K
-1.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.5 CA$71.0
$58.9 CA$82.7
-14.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.12 CA$52.2
$39.75 CA$55.9
-6.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.0 CA$122
$93.4 CA$131
-6.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 CA$141
$110 CA$155
-8.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$652 CA$916
$1,254 CA$1,762
-47.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$602 CA$845
$1,056 CA$1,484
-43.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,302 CA$1,829
$2,022 CA$2,841
-35.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,087 CA$1,527
$1,629 CA$2,288
-33.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,928 CA$5,518
$3,600 CA$5,059
9.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,688 CA$5,181
$3,243 CA$4,556
13.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Joliette
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,709 CA$3,806
$3,115 CA$4,377
-13.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.16
4.51
-7.76%

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

Last update for Joliette: 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
Joliette
$602
Calgary
$1.1K 75.6% $455
Groceries & Markets
Joliette
$362
Calgary
$393 8.5% $31
Eating Out
Joliette
$256
Calgary
$271 5.8% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Joliette
$229
Calgary
$256 12% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Joliette
$124
Calgary
$136 9.8% $12
Getting Around
Joliette
$77
Calgary
$111 44.6% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Joliette
$69
Calgary
$80 16.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $652 in Joliette and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 15% 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: $53 in Joliette vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $393 per month, with Joliette cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Joliette
🇨🇦 Calgary
🕒 Local time
14:47 2:47 PM
12:47 12:47 PM
2 h behind Joliette
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,484
1,267,344
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.639 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Joliette Calgary 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Joliette
  • 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
Joliette vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Joliette cheaper than Calgary?
Joliette is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Joliette or Calgary?
On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Joliette. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Joliette and Calgary?
Rent for a central apartment: $652 in Joliette versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Joliette or in Calgary?
Dining out is cheaper in Joliette – a meal for two runs $53 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Joliette and in Calgary?
All in, you’ll spend $1,717 per month in Joliette versus $2,303 in Calgary – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is it better to live in Joliette or in Calgary?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Joliette gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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