Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kelowna and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Kelowna and in Calgary: $2,385 and $2,303 a month, rent and utilities included.

Kelowna, Canada
Calgary, Canada
Kelowna
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,385
/mo nomad
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,385 in Kelowna versus $2,303 in Calgary.

  • Kelowna $2,385
  • Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,545 in Kelowna versus $3,366 in Calgary.

  • Kelowna $3,545
  • Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,706 in Kelowna versus $4,428 in Calgary.

  • Kelowna $4,706
  • Calgary $4,428

Living in Kelowna is roughly 4% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kelowna 75% above, Calgary 69% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 CA$23.42
$17.55 CA$24.63
-4.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.4 CA$82.0
$70.4 CA$98.8
-17.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.50 CA$16.14
$10.69 CA$15.00
7.58%
Cappuccino
$4.01 CA$5.62
$3.89 CA$5.46
3.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 CA$2.80
$2.04 CA$2.86
-1.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 CA$2.41
$1.88 CA$2.64
-8.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 CA$6.60
$4.90 CA$6.87
-4.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.59 CA$7.84
$5.78 CA$8.11
-3.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.04 CA$2.87
$1.96 CA$2.75
4.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.82 CA$3.95
$2.74 CA$3.84
2.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.59 CA$5.04
$5.46 CA$7.67
-34.25%
Eggs
$3.18 CA$4.46
$3.69 CA$5.17
-13.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.66 CA$13.56
$11.24 CA$15.78
-14.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.28 CA$18.64
$11.54 CA$16.19
15.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.55 CA$30.24
$18.38 CA$25.79
17.25%
Apples (1kg)
$3.57 CA$5.01
$4.90 CA$6.88
-27.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 CA$2.09
$1.42 CA$2.00
4.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.51 CA$4.93
$4.21 CA$5.91
-16.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.76 CA$6.68
$4.02 CA$5.65
18.41%
Potato (1kg)
$3.16 CA$4.43
$2.69 CA$3.78
17.47%
Onion (1kg)
$3.13 CA$4.39
$2.66 CA$3.74
17.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.57 CA$3.60
$2.61 CA$3.67
-1.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 CA$2.78
$1.60 CA$2.24
23.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.37 CA$20.17
$14.00 CA$19.65
2.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.81 CA$19.39
$15.40 CA$21.61
-10.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 CA$3.56
$2.50 CA$3.50
1.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 CA$4.39
$3.09 CA$4.34
1.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.18 CA$3.06
$2.93 CA$4.11
-25.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.68 CA$69.7
$89.3 CA$125
-44.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 CA$3.89
$3.27 CA$4.59
-15.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 CA$2.54
$1.35 CA$1.89
34.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.45 CA$48.35
$27.39 CA$38.43
25.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 CA$1.74
$1.17 CA$1.65
5.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K CA$39.9K
$27.9K CA$39.2K
1.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K CA$29.6K
$21.0K CA$29.5K
0.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$128 CA$180
$167 CA$234
-23.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$44.58 CA$62.6
$38.27 CA$53.7
16.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.4 CA$82.0
$50.9 CA$71.5
14.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.3 CA$78.9
$51.0 CA$71.5
10.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.66 CA$43.03
$18.17 CA$25.50
68.74%
Cinema Ticket
$11.59 CA$16.27
$14.44 CA$20.27
-19.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,054 CA$1,479
$545 CA$766
93.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K CA$23.3K
$16.2K CA$22.7K
2.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.90 CA$68.6
$58.9 CA$82.6
-16.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.53 CA$58.3
$39.75 CA$55.8
4.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.9 CA$119
$93.4 CA$131
-9.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.1 CA$138
$110 CA$154
-10.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,395 CA$1,958
$1,254 CA$1,760
11.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 CA$1,710
$1,056 CA$1,483
15.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,455 CA$3,446
$2,022 CA$2,838
21.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,082 CA$2,921
$1,629 CA$2,286
27.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,160 CA$5,838
$3,600 CA$5,053
15.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,129 CA$4,391
$3,243 CA$4,551
-3.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kelowna
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,093 CA$4,341
$3,115 CA$4,372
-0.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.69
4.51
3.99%

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

Last update for Kelowna: October 25, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kelowna
$1.2K
Calgary
$1.1K 13.3% $162
Groceries & Markets
Kelowna
$397
Calgary
$393 1% $4
Eating Out
Kelowna
$266
Calgary
$271 2% $5.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kelowna
$231
Calgary
$256 10.7% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Kelowna
$123
Calgary
$136 10.5% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Kelowna
$79
Calgary
$80 0.5% $0.4
Getting Around
Kelowna
$70
Calgary
$111 58.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,395 in Kelowna and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in Kelowna vs $70 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $397 vs $393, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Kelowna
🇨🇦 Calgary
🕒 Local time
06:52 6:52 AM
07:52 7:52 AM
1 h ahead of Kelowna
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
144,576
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 = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

On the map
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  • Kelowna Calgary 410 km
From you
  • Kelowna
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Kelowna vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Calgary cheaper than Kelowna?
Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,577 in Kelowna and $3,454 in Calgary to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Kelowna and Calgary?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,395 in Kelowna versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,054 in Kelowna versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Kelowna or in Calgary?
Dining out is cheaper in Kelowna – a meal for two runs $58 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is it better to live in Kelowna 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.

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