Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,410 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Markham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,410

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,410 in Markham versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Markham $2,410
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,495 in Markham versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Markham $3,495
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,580 in Markham versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Markham $4,580
Calgary $4,428

Living in Markham is roughly 5% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Markham 77% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 CA$25.27

$17.55 CA$24.52

3.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.2 CA$75.8

$70.4 CA$98.3

-22.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.00

$10.69 CA$14.93

0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.76 CA$5.25

$3.89 CA$5.43

-3.34%

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

$1.78 CA$2.49

$2.04 CA$2.85

-12.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CA$1.72

$1.88 CA$2.62

-34.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 CA$5.08

$4.90 CA$6.84

-25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$7.99

$5.78 CA$8.08

-1.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CA$2.81

$1.96 CA$2.74

2.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 CA$3.21

$2.74 CA$3.83

-16.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 CA$2.68

$5.46 CA$7.63

-64.84%

Eggs

$3.16 CA$4.42

$3.69 CA$5.15

-14.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 CA$16.75

$11.54 CA$16.12

3.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.16 CA$10.01

$18.38 CA$25.67

-61.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.24

$4.90 CA$6.85

-23.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.82

$1.42 CA$1.99

-8.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 CA$3.30

$4.21 CA$5.88

-43.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.63

$4.02 CA$5.62

-17.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 CA$2.81

$2.69 CA$3.77

-25.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CA$2.78

$2.66 CA$3.72

-25.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 CA$3.90

$2.61 CA$3.65

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.20

$1.60 CA$2.23

-1.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 CA$18.77

$14.00 CA$19.56

-4.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 CA$20.67

$15.40 CA$21.51

-3.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$2.50 CA$3.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.09 CA$4.32

1.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 CA$4.34

$2.93 CA$4.09

5.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CA$142

$89.3 CA$125

13.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 CA$4.66

$3.27 CA$4.57

2.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.58 CA$25.95

$27.39 CA$38.26

-32.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.68

$1.17 CA$1.64

2.56%

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

$28.5K CA$39.8K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

2.06%

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

$21.6K CA$30.2K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

2.77%

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

$130 CA$182

$167 CA$233

-22.07%

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

$27.48 CA$38.40

$38.27 CA$53.5

-28.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.49 CA$63.6

$50.9 CA$71.2

-10.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.54 CA$53.8

$51.0 CA$71.2

-24.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.40 CA$29.90

$18.17 CA$25.39

17.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 CA$14.25

$14.44 CA$20.18

-29.36%

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

$526 CA$735

$545 CA$762

-3.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K CA$38.9K

$16.2K CA$22.6K

71.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.18 CA$60.3

$58.9 CA$82.3

-26.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 CA$52.3

$39.75 CA$55.5

-5.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 CA$131

$93.4 CA$130

0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$150

$110 CA$154

-2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 CA$2,236

$1,254 CA$1,752

27.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 CA$1,892

$1,056 CA$1,476

28.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,679 CA$3,743

$2,022 CA$2,825

32.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,237 CA$3,125

$1,629 CA$2,275

37.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,458 CA$9,022

$3,600 CA$5,030

79.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,229 CA$7,305

$3,243 CA$4,530

61.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,216 CA$4,493

$3,115 CA$4,352

3.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

4.51

1.11%

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

Last update for Markham: October 27, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Markham

$1.4K 56.2%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 22% $298

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$286 * 11.9%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 37.3% $107

Eating Out

Markham

$264 10.9%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 2.7% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$203 8.4%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 26.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$127 5.3%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 7.2% $9.1

Getting Around

Markham

$117 * 4.9%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 5.2% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$59 2.5%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 35.4% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,600 in Markham and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 3% 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: $54 in Markham vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $393 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

01:07 1:07 AM

1 h behind Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Markham Calgary 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

Markham vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Markham, 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: $1,600 in Markham versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Markham – a meal for two runs $54 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,410 per month in Markham versus $2,303 in Calgary – Calgary is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Calgary wins on affordability, Markham on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.