Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medicine Hat and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Medicine Hat: $1,814 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Medicine Hat
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Medicine Hat Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

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Medicine Hat

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,814

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,814 in Medicine Hat versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Medicine Hat $1,814
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,712 in Medicine Hat versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Medicine Hat $2,712
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,611 in Medicine Hat versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Medicine Hat $3,611
Calgary $4,428

Living in Medicine Hat costs roughly 21% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medicine Hat 33% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.23 CA$21.28

$17.55 CA$24.52

-13.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 CA$97.7

$70.4 CA$98.4

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 CA$13.72

$10.69 CA$14.94

-8.14%

Cappuccino

$3.76 CA$5.26

$3.89 CA$5.43

-3.34%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.40

$1.88 CA$2.62

-8.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.11

$4.90 CA$6.84

3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 CA$5.52

$5.78 CA$8.08

-31.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 CA$2.16

$1.96 CA$2.74

-20.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 CA$2.47

$2.74 CA$3.83

-35.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.84

$5.46 CA$7.63

-36.63%

Eggs

$2.98 CA$4.16

$3.69 CA$5.15

-19.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 CA$13.19

$11.24 CA$15.71

-16.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 CA$15.42

$11.54 CA$16.12

-4.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.82 CA$17.91

$18.38 CA$25.68

-30.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 CA$4.43

$4.90 CA$6.85

-35.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.42 CA$1.99

2.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.00

$4.21 CA$5.88

-32.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 CA$5.20

$4.02 CA$5.62

-7.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 CA$3.79

$2.69 CA$3.77

0.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$2.66 CA$3.72

-44.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$1.60 CA$2.23

-1.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.08

$14.00 CA$19.57

-17.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.61 CA$17.61

$15.40 CA$21.52

-18.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CA$3.33

$2.50 CA$3.49

-4.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CA$4.45

$3.09 CA$4.32

3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 CA$3.15

$2.93 CA$4.09

-22.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$89.3 CA$125

-42.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 CA$4.46

$3.27 CA$4.57

-2.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 CA$1.87

$1.35 CA$1.89

-0.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.41 CA$38.29

$27.39 CA$38.27

0.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 CA$1.44

$1.17 CA$1.64

-11.97%

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

$24.3K CA$34.0K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

-12.86%

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

$20.0K CA$28.0K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

-4.76%

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

$165 CA$231

$167 CA$233

-0.98%

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

$38.32 CA$53.5

$38.27 CA$53.5

0.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 CA$70.7

$50.9 CA$71.2

-0.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$75.1

$51.0 CA$71.2

5.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.27 CA$49.28

$18.17 CA$25.39

94.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 CA$20.11

$14.44 CA$20.18

-0.35%

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

$541 CA$757

$545 CA$762

-0.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.5K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-0.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 CA$70.5

$58.9 CA$82.3

-14.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.44 CA$36.94

$39.75 CA$55.6

-33.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.2 CA$92.4

$93.4 CA$130

-29.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 CA$94.5

$110 CA$154

-38.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 CA$1,259

$1,254 CA$1,752

-28.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 CA$1,046

$1,056 CA$1,476

-29.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 CA$2,072

$2,022 CA$2,826

-26.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 CA$1,673

$1,629 CA$2,276

-26.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,369 CA$1,912

$3,600 CA$5,031

-61.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,930 CA$2,696

$3,243 CA$4,531

-40.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,973 CA$4,155

$3,115 CA$4,353

-4.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

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

Last update for Medicine Hat: 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

Medicine Hat

$749 41.3%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 41.1% $308

Groceries & Markets

Medicine Hat

$319 17.6%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 22.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medicine Hat

$254 14%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 0.8% $1.9

Eating Out

Medicine Hat

$245 13.5%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 10.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Medicine Hat

$95 5.2%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 43.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Medicine Hat

$83 4.6%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 3.3% $2.7

Getting Around

Medicine Hat

$70 3.9%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 59% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Medicine Hat and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 5% 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: $70 in Medicine Hat vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $393 per month, with Medicine Hat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Medicine Hat

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

Same time as Medicine Hat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,997

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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Medicine Hat Calgary 260 km

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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

Medicine Hat vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medicine Hat is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Medicine Hat. 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: $901 in Medicine Hat versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $541 in Medicine Hat versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Medicine Hat runs roughly 43% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,814 in Medicine Hat versus $2,303 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Medicine Hat but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Medicine Hat 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.

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