Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Vancouver and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,803 in North Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in North Vancouver
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North Vancouver Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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North Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,803

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,803 in North Vancouver versus $2,303 in Calgary.

North Vancouver $2,803
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,166 in North Vancouver versus $3,366 in Calgary.

North Vancouver $4,166
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,528 in North Vancouver versus $4,428 in Calgary.

North Vancouver $5,528
Calgary $4,428

Living in North Vancouver is roughly 22% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Vancouver 106% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.67 CA$30.29

$17.55 CA$24.53

23.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 CA$90.8

$70.4 CA$98.4

-7.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 CA$13.29

$10.69 CA$14.94

-11.04%

Cappuccino

$4.33 CA$6.05

$3.89 CA$5.44

11.31%

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

$2.36 CA$3.30

$2.04 CA$2.85

15.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.49

$1.88 CA$2.62

-5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.79

$4.90 CA$6.84

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 CA$8.71

$5.78 CA$8.08

7.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.83

$1.96 CA$2.74

3.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.85

$2.74 CA$3.83

0.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.72

$5.46 CA$7.63

-38.10%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.42

$3.69 CA$5.15

-14.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 CA$19.42

$11.24 CA$15.72

23.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.64 CA$19.07

$11.54 CA$16.13

18.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 CA$22.22

$18.38 CA$25.68

-13.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.19 CA$5.85

$4.90 CA$6.85

-14.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.42 CA$1.99

2.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 CA$6.05

$4.21 CA$5.89

2.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.67

$4.02 CA$5.62

0.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$2.69 CA$3.77

8.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 CA$3.91

$2.66 CA$3.72

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 CA$3.94

$2.61 CA$3.65

8.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$1.60 CA$2.23

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.36 CA$20.07

$14.00 CA$19.57

2.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$19.64

$15.40 CA$21.52

-8.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 CA$2.87

$2.50 CA$3.49

-17.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$3.09 CA$4.32

-6.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$2.93 CA$4.10

-12.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.3 CA$137

$89.3 CA$125

10.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.81

$3.27 CA$4.57

-16.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.14

$1.35 CA$1.89

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.76 CA$38.80

$27.39 CA$38.28

1.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.17 CA$1.64

9.40%

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

$27.8K CA$38.9K

$27.9K CA$39.1K

-0.48%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

0.35%

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

$129 CA$180

$167 CA$233

-22.76%

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

$38.44 CA$53.7

$38.27 CA$53.5

0.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 CA$73.4

$50.9 CA$71.2

3.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.78 CA$38.82

$51.0 CA$71.2

-45.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.10 CA$33.68

$18.17 CA$25.40

32.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.90 CA$16.63

$14.44 CA$20.18

-17.59%

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

$1,071 CA$1,496

$545 CA$762

96.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CA$15.1K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-33.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 CA$91.1

$58.9 CA$82.3

10.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.34 CA$53.6

$39.75 CA$55.6

-3.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 CA$115

$93.4 CA$130

-11.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 CA$155

$110 CA$154

0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 CA$2,721

$1,254 CA$1,753

55.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 CA$2,205

$1,056 CA$1,477

49.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,343 CA$4,672

$2,022 CA$2,826

65.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,744 CA$3,836

$1,629 CA$2,276

68.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,186 CA$11.4K

$3,600 CA$5,032

127.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,846 CA$8,171

$3,243 CA$4,532

80.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,112 CA$4,349

$3,115 CA$4,354

-0.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

4.51

3.99%

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

Last update for North Vancouver: October 24, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Vancouver

$1.6K 56.3%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 33% $521

Groceries & Markets

North Vancouver

$395 14.1%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 0.5% $1.9

Eating Out

North Vancouver

$307 11%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 11.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Vancouver

$220 7.8%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 16.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

North Vancouver

$134 4.8%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 1.8% $2.4

Getting Around

North Vancouver

$119 4.2%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 6.7% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

North Vancouver

$52 1.8%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 54.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,947 in North Vancouver and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in North Vancouver vs $70 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $395 vs $393, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 North Vancouver

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

09:05 9:05 AM

1 h ahead of North Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,200

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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North Vancouver Calgary 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

North Vancouver
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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

North Vancouver vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,205 in North Vancouver 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: $1,947 in North Vancouver versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,071 in North Vancouver versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in North Vancouver – a meal for two runs $65 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.