Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kamloops and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,432 in Kamloops, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kamloops outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Kamloops
Learn more

Kamloops Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Kamloops

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,432 in Kamloops versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Kamloops $2,432
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,611 in Kamloops versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Kamloops $3,611
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,790 in Kamloops versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Kamloops $4,790
Calgary $4,379

Living in Kamloops is roughly 9% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kamloops 80% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.03 CA$29.73

$17.22 CA$24.34

22.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$103

$71.1 CA$100

2.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.29 CA$14.55

$10.53 CA$14.89

-2.28%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.47

$3.66 CA$5.18

5.74%

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

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.98 CA$2.80

23.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.94 CA$2.74

-11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 CA$8.58

$4.95 CA$7.00

22.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.34 CA$8.97

$5.57 CA$7.87

13.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$1.88 CA$2.65

21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 CA$3.41

$2.67 CA$3.78

-9.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.35

$5.32 CA$7.52

-28.76%

Eggs

$4.17 CA$5.89

$3.79 CA$5.35

10.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 CA$11.74

$11.09 CA$15.68

-25.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 CA$16.95

$11.36 CA$16.05

5.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.93 CA$23.93

$18.40 CA$26.01

-7.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$4.56 CA$6.45

-7.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 CA$2.49

$1.44 CA$2.04

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.89

$4.08 CA$5.76

2.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.72

$3.89 CA$5.50

3.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.64 CA$3.73

6.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CA$3.24

$2.64 CA$3.73

-13.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$2.50 CA$3.54

6.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.50 CA$2.12

18.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.19 CA$22.88

$14.05 CA$19.86

15.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.40 CA$17.53

$15.70 CA$22.20

-21.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.74 CA$6.70

$2.44 CA$3.45

94.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$3.09 CA$4.37

21.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 CA$2.17

$2.82 CA$3.99

-45.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.59 CA$51.7

$88.6 CA$125

-58.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 CA$4.93

$3.12 CA$4.41

11.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.35 CA$1.91

42.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.04 CA$17.02

$27.02 CA$38.20

-55.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.81

$1.16 CA$1.64

10.34%

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

$27.9K CA$39.4K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-0.08%

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

$19.1K CA$27.0K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

-6.05%

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

$194 CA$274

$161 CA$227

20.55%

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

$48.68 CA$68.8

$38.13 CA$53.9

27.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 CA$91.9

$50.0 CA$70.7

29.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.51 CA$60.1

$51.5 CA$72.8

-17.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.55 CA$37.53

$18.14 CA$25.64

46.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.51 CA$16.27

$13.82 CA$19.54

-16.71%

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

$755 CA$1,067

$786 CA$1,111

-4.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,819 CA$5,399

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-75.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 CA$86.8

$58.3 CA$82.4

5.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 CA$79.7

$39.27 CA$55.5

43.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 CA$112

$89.8 CA$127

-12.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$110 CA$155

-4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 CA$1,833

$1,229 CA$1,737

5.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 CA$1,665

$1,001 CA$1,415

17.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,268 CA$3,207

$1,921 CA$2,716

18.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,002 CA$2,830

$1,621 CA$2,292

23.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,987 CA$7,050

$3,549 CA$5,018

40.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,795 CA$5,365

$3,335 CA$4,715

13.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,828 CA$3,998

$3,165 CA$4,474

-10.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

4.51

2.00%

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

Last update for Kamloops: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kamloops

$1.2K 48.4%

Calgary

$1K 45% 15% $177

Groceries & Markets

Kamloops

$384 15.8%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 0.3% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kamloops

$307 12.6%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 19% $59

Eating Out

Kamloops

$305 12.6%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 13.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Kamloops

$136 5.6%

Calgary

$134 6% 1.4% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kamloops

$66 2.7%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 20.7% $14

Getting Around

Kamloops

$56 2.3%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 96.6% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,297 in Kamloops and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Kamloops vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $385, with Kamloops cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kamloops

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

22:12 10:12 PM

1 h ahead of Kamloops

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,280

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kamloops Calgary 440 km

From you

Kamloops
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

Kamloops vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Calgary. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,297 in Kamloops 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 $73.0 in Kamloops. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,432 per month in Kamloops versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,432 in Kamloops, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Kamloops. 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 9% less than in Kamloops. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.