Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanata and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,297 a month against $2,514 in Kanata, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kanata outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

119

Cost of Living Index in Kanata
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Kanata Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Kanata

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,514

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,514 in Kanata versus $2,297 in Calgary.

Kanata $2,514
Calgary $2,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,581 in Kanata versus $3,378 in Calgary.

Kanata $3,581
Calgary $3,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,648 in Kanata versus $4,459 in Calgary.

Kanata $4,648
Calgary $4,459

Living in Kanata is roughly 9% more expensive than in Calgary.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kanata 86% above, Calgary 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 CA$25.24

$17.94 CA$25.05

0.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.2 CA$108

$68.9 CA$96.1

12.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 CA$15.17

$10.94 CA$15.27

-0.64%

Cappuccino

$3.46 CA$4.83

$3.70 CA$5.17

-6.49%

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

$2.00 CA$2.79

$2.07 CA$2.89

-3.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$2.04 CA$2.85

-18.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 CA$3.69

$5.74 CA$8.02

-53.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$5.70 CA$7.96

-51.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.76

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.82

$2.65 CA$3.70

3.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$5.84 CA$8.15

-68.66%

Eggs

$4.36 CA$6.09

$3.81 CA$5.33

14.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 CA$18.87

$10.81 CA$15.08

25.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 CA$15.66

$11.02 CA$15.38

1.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.95 CA$12.50

$17.87 CA$24.95

-49.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CA$4.78

$4.88 CA$6.81

-29.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 CA$1.37

$1.45 CA$2.03

-32.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.00

$4.15 CA$5.80

-31.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.46

$3.99 CA$5.57

-2.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 CA$1.57

$2.93 CA$4.09

-61.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CA$2.98

$3.02 CA$4.22

-29.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.57

$2.67 CA$3.72

-4.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$1.57 CA$2.19

-10.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.08 CA$18.26

$14.11 CA$19.69

-7.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.76 CA$30.37

$15.45 CA$21.57

40.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 CA$3.78

$2.50 CA$3.50

8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CA$4.51

$3.18 CA$4.44

1.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$2.85 CA$3.97

-7.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.4 CA$125

$90.2 CA$126

-0.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 CA$4.03

$3.16 CA$4.41

-8.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$1.41 CA$1.96

-11.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 CA$46.96

$27.46 CA$38.33

22.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.63

$1.18 CA$1.65

-0.85%

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

$26.8K CA$37.4K

$27.9K CA$38.9K

-3.78%

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

$18.4K CA$25.7K

$21.1K CA$29.4K

-12.68%

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

$112 CA$157

$182 CA$254

-38.32%

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

$44.44 CA$62.0

$36.01 CA$50.3

23.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.78 CA$58.3

$48.80 CA$68.1

-14.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.73 CA$63.8

$48.78 CA$68.1

-6.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.34

Cinema Ticket

$9.40 CA$13.12

$14.52 CA$20.26

-35.26%

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

$861 CA$1,202

$542 CA$756

58.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K CA$14.8K

$21.2K CA$29.5K

-49.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$79.5

$59.1 CA$82.5

-3.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 CA$44.32

$42.34 CA$59.1

-25.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 CA$121

$94.2 CA$131

-7.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.3 CA$88.3

$109 CA$152

-41.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 CA$2,177

$1,214 CA$1,694

28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,003

$1,036 CA$1,447

38.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,248 CA$3,138

$2,045 CA$2,855

9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 CA$2,978

$1,655 CA$2,310

28.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,266 CA$4,559

$3,653 CA$5,099

-10.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,183 CA$4,443

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,992 CA$4,177

$3,219 CA$4,493

-7.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.97

4.43

12.19%

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

Last update for Kanata: October 31, 2026

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kanata

$1.4K 57.1%

Calgary

$1K 45.1% 27.8% $399

Groceries & Markets

Kanata

$348 13.8%

Calgary

$390 17% 12.1% $42

Eating Out

Kanata

$252 10%

Calgary

$277 12.1% 10% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanata

$198 7.9%

Calgary

$267 11.6% 34.4% $68

Getting Around

Kanata

$109 4.3%

Calgary

$112 4.9% 2.5% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Kanata

$108 4.3%

Calgary

$137 6% 27.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Kanata

$65 2.6%

Calgary

$78 3.4% 20.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,559 in Kanata and $1,214 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $77 in Kanata vs $69 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $390, with Kanata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kanata

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h behind Kanata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,000

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kanata Calgary 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Kanata
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

Kanata vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,514 in Kanata and $2,297 in Calgary, so Calgary is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Kanata. 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: $1,559 in Kanata versus $1,214 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $861 in Kanata versus $542 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $69 versus $77 in Kanata. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.