Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Island, NY and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $3,867 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Long Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,867

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,867 in Long Island, NY versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Long Island, NY $3,867
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,541 in Long Island, NY versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Long Island, NY $5,541
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,215 in Long Island, NY versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Long Island, NY $7,215
Calgary $4,379

Living in Long Island, NY is roughly 74% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Long Island, NY 186% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.36 $25.36

$17.22 CA$24.34

47.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$71.1 CA$100

42.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 $10.94

$10.53 CA$14.89

3.89%

Cappuccino

$5.07 $5.07

$3.66 CA$5.18

38.52%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.98 CA$2.80

8.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.94 CA$2.74

-18.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.95 CA$7.00

62.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$5.57 CA$7.87

41.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.88 CA$2.65

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.67 CA$3.78

58.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$5.32 CA$7.52

-64.10%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$3.79 CA$5.35

33.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$11.09 CA$15.68

-35.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$11.36 CA$16.05

2.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.63 $16.63

$18.40 CA$26.01

-9.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$4.56 CA$6.45

-9.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.44 CA$2.04

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$4.08 CA$5.76

-47.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.89 CA$5.50

55.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.64 CA$3.73

-59.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.64 CA$3.73

-14.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.50 CA$3.54

-40.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.50 CA$2.12

88.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.27 $11.27

$14.05 CA$19.86

-19.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 $17.38

$15.70 CA$22.20

10.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.44 CA$3.45

-30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.09 CA$4.37

31.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.82 CA$3.99

-2.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$88.6 CA$125

47.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.12 CA$4.41

-2.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.35 CA$1.91

54.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 $24.16

$27.02 CA$38.20

-10.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.16 CA$1.64

-3.45%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

31.43%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

25.12%

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

$190 $190

$161 CA$227

18.47%

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

$48.53 $48.53

$38.13 CA$53.9

27.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$50.0 CA$70.7

8.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.55 $31.55

$51.5 CA$72.8

-38.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$102 $102

$18.14 CA$25.64

463.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 $14.23

$13.82 CA$19.54

2.97%

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

$2,219 $2,219

$786 CA$1,111

182.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

55.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.01 $40.01

$58.3 CA$82.4

-31.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$39.27 CA$55.5

43.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$89.8 CA$127

-15.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$110 CA$155

43.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,715 $2,715

$1,229 CA$1,737

120.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 $2,463

$1,001 CA$1,415

146.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,300 $5,300

$1,921 CA$2,716

175.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,883 $3,883

$1,621 CA$2,292

139.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,360 $4,360

$3,549 CA$5,018

22.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,364 $4,364

$3,335 CA$4,715

30.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,983 $4,983

$3,165 CA$4,474

57.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

4.51

47.01%

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

Last update for Long Island, NY: 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

Long Island, NY

$2.5K 63.7%

Calgary

$1K 45% 59.4% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Long Island, NY

$378 9.8%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 1.8% $6.9

Eating Out

Long Island, NY

$368 9.5%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 27.9% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Island, NY

$293 7.6%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 15.2% $44

Getting Around

Long Island, NY

$155 4%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 29.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Long Island, NY

$149 3.8%

Calgary

$134 6% 10.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Long Island, NY

$60 1.6%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 31.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,715 in Long Island, NY and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Island, NY pays 57% 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: $101 in Long Island, NY vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $378 vs $385, with Long Island, NY cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

2 h behind Long Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,804,968

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Long Island, NY Calgary 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Long Island, NY
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Long Island, NY vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Long Island, NY, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,715 in Long Island, NY 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 $101 in Long Island, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,867 per month in Long Island, NY versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $3,867 in Long Island, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Long Island, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Long Island, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Long Island, NY 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 74% less than in Long Island, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.