Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Kingston and in Calgary: $2,297 and $2,255 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,297 in Kingston versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Kingston $2,297
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,179 in Kingston versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Kingston $3,179
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,062 in Kingston versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Kingston $4,062
Calgary $4,468

Living in Kingston is roughly 2% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 70% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.68 CA$22.16

$17.58 CA$24.85

-10.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 CA$89.8

$69.1 CA$97.6

-7.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$10.59 CA$14.97

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$3.84 CA$5.42

-8.59%

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

$2.10 CA$2.96

$1.93 CA$2.72

8.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.85

$1.88 CA$2.66

-30.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 CA$7.98

$5.09 CA$7.20

11.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CA$8.75

$5.64 CA$7.97

9.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.00 CA$2.82

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$2.78 CA$3.93

-5.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$5.59 CA$7.90

-46.33%

Eggs

$2.93 CA$4.14

$3.70 CA$5.23

-20.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$11.48 CA$16.23

-9.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 CA$16.63

$11.20 CA$15.84

5.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 CA$16.04

$18.59 CA$26.28

-38.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$4.70 CA$6.64

-36.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.45 CA$2.05

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$4.34 CA$6.13

-19.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.37

$3.79 CA$5.36

0.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$2.69 CA$3.81

10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$2.75 CA$3.88

-8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 CA$3.03

$2.56 CA$3.62

-16.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.50 CA$2.12

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 CA$20.13

$14.39 CA$20.34

-1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.01

$15.81 CA$22.35

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.47 CA$3.49

-9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$3.10 CA$4.39

-3.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$2.81 CA$3.97

-13.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 CA$81.7

$90.6 CA$128

-36.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 CA$4.74

$3.28 CA$4.64

2.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.40 CA$1.97

0.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.42 CA$45.84

$26.49 CA$37.45

22.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$1.22 CA$1.72

-7.38%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-1.65%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

0.01%

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

$130 CA$184

$165 CA$233

-20.92%

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

$39.13 CA$55.3

$38.24 CA$54.1

2.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 CA$87.1

$50.1 CA$70.9

22.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.11 CA$41.16

$53.8 CA$76.1

-45.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 CA$12.38

$18.04 CA$25.51

-51.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 CA$15.07

$14.04 CA$19.84

-24.07%

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

$525 CA$742

$797 CA$1,126

-34.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.5

$59.1 CA$83.5

-9.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.73 CA$44.86

$40.20 CA$56.8

-21.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 CA$111

$90.8 CA$128

-13.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 CA$116

$109 CA$155

-25.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 CA$2,137

$1,207 CA$1,707

25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 CA$1,751

$1,011 CA$1,429

22.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,329 CA$3,293

$1,949 CA$2,756

19.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 CA$2,380

$1,677 CA$2,371

0.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,402 CA$4,810

$3,532 CA$4,993

-3.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,433 CA$3,439

$3,392 CA$4,795

-28.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,099 CA$4,382

$3,152 CA$4,456

-1.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

4.51

2.22%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 19, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$1.2K 53.9%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 18.4% $227

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$336 14.6%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 16.6% $56

Eating Out

Kingston

$253 11%

Calgary

$270 12% 6.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$231 10.1%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 9.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$110 4.8%

Calgary

$135 6% 22.1% $24

Getting Around

Kingston

$78 3.4%

Calgary

$112 5% 43.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$50 2.2%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 62.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,512 in Kingston and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Kingston vs $69.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $392 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kingston

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

2 h behind Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,363

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

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Kingston Calgary 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
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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

Kingston vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 2% 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: $1,512 in Kingston versus $1,207 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 $69.0 versus $64.0 in Kingston. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,297 per month in Kingston versus $2,255 in Calgary – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,297 in Kingston, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Kingston. 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.

Safety-wise, Kingston 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.