Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanaimo, BC and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nanaimo, BC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Nanaimo, BC
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Nanaimo, BC Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,368

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Nanaimo, BC $2,368
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Nanaimo, BC versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Nanaimo, BC $3,410
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,452 in Nanaimo, BC versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Nanaimo, BC $4,452
Calgary $4,428

Living in Nanaimo, BC is roughly 3% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nanaimo, BC 74% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 CA$25.05

$17.55 CA$24.63

1.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$70.4 CA$98.8

11.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 CA$15.92

$10.69 CA$15.00

6.08%

Cappuccino

$4.10 CA$5.75

$3.89 CA$5.46

5.40%

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

$2.32 CA$3.26

$2.04 CA$2.86

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.30

$1.88 CA$2.64

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.96

$4.90 CA$6.87

15.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 CA$7.97

$5.78 CA$8.11

-1.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 CA$2.42

$1.96 CA$2.75

-11.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 CA$4.75

$2.74 CA$3.84

23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.29

$5.46 CA$7.67

-43.96%

Eggs

$4.08 CA$5.72

$3.69 CA$5.17

10.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.27 CA$15.82

$11.24 CA$15.78

0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 CA$19.96

$11.54 CA$16.19

23.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.80 CA$23.58

$18.38 CA$25.79

-8.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 CA$6.63

$4.90 CA$6.88

-3.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 CA$1.73

$1.42 CA$2.00

-13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 CA$5.94

$4.21 CA$5.91

0.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 CA$8.00

$4.02 CA$5.65

41.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.08

$2.69 CA$3.78

8.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$2.66 CA$3.74

6.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 CA$3.93

$2.61 CA$3.67

7.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.19

$1.60 CA$2.24

41.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.19

$14.00 CA$19.65

2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 CA$20.12

$15.40 CA$21.61

-6.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$2.50 CA$3.50

9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.72

$3.09 CA$4.34

-14.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 CA$2.81

$2.93 CA$4.11

-31.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.18 CA$64.8

$89.3 CA$125

-48.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.94

$3.27 CA$4.59

-14.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$1.35 CA$1.89

55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 CA$40.07

$27.39 CA$38.43

4.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.17 CA$1.65

19.66%

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

$26.1K CA$36.7K

$27.9K CA$39.2K

-6.46%

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

$20.8K CA$29.2K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

-1.06%

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

$149 CA$209

$167 CA$234

-10.53%

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

$41.64 CA$58.4

$38.27 CA$53.7

8.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CA$91.4

$50.9 CA$71.5

27.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.48 CA$35.75

$51.0 CA$71.5

-49.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 CA$26.61

$18.17 CA$25.50

4.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 CA$15.87

$14.44 CA$20.27

-21.68%

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

$705 CA$989

$545 CA$766

29.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K CA$18.2K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-19.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.80 CA$68.5

$58.9 CA$82.6

-17.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.66 CA$47.24

$39.75 CA$55.8

-15.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$142

$93.4 CA$131

8.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$153

$110 CA$154

-0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 CA$1,971

$1,254 CA$1,760

11.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 CA$1,643

$1,056 CA$1,483

10.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 CA$2,912

$2,022 CA$2,838

2.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,701 CA$2,387

$1,629 CA$2,286

4.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,789 CA$5,318

$3,600 CA$5,053

5.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,508 CA$4,923

$3,243 CA$4,551

8.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 CA$4,424

$3,115 CA$4,372

1.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

4.51

4.66%

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

Last update for Nanaimo, BC: 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

Nanaimo, BC

$1.2K 49.5%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 9.8% $114

Groceries & Markets

Nanaimo, BC

$412 17.4%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 4.7% $19

Eating Out

Nanaimo, BC

$282 11.9%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 3.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanaimo, BC

$256 10.8%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Nanaimo, BC

$132 5.6%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 3.1% $4.1

Getting Around

Nanaimo, BC

$68 2.9%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 64.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Nanaimo, BC

$48 2%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 66% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,404 in Nanaimo, BC and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79 in Nanaimo, BC vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $393 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of Nanaimo, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,504

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Nanaimo, BC Calgary 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nanaimo, BC vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,552 in Nanaimo, BC 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,404 in Nanaimo, BC 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 Calgary – a meal for two runs $70 versus $79 in Nanaimo, BC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,368 per month in Nanaimo, BC versus $2,303 in Calgary – Calgary is about 3% 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.