Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Northampton, MA and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,841 in Northampton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Northampton, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Northampton, MA
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Northampton, MA Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Northampton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,841

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,841 in Northampton, MA versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Northampton, MA $2,841
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,134 in Northampton, MA versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Northampton, MA $4,134
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,427 in Northampton, MA versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Northampton, MA $5,427
Calgary $4,428

Living in Northampton, MA is roughly 23% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Northampton, MA 109% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.78 $17.78

$17.55 CA$24.63

1.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$70.4 CA$98.8

12.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 $10.69

$10.69 CA$15.00

Cappuccino

$4.60 $4.60

$3.89 CA$5.46

18.25%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$2.04 CA$2.86

37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.88 CA$2.64

20.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.90 CA$6.87

4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$5.78 CA$8.11

35.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.96 CA$2.75

-44.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.74 CA$3.84

47.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$5.46 CA$7.67

-0.37%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$3.69 CA$5.17

29.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 $11.23

$11.24 CA$15.78

-0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$11.54 CA$16.19

-41.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 $17.52

$18.38 CA$25.79

-4.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.90 CA$6.88

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.42 CA$2.00

12.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$4.21 CA$5.91

5.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$4.02 CA$5.65

34.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.69 CA$3.78

19.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.66 CA$3.74

42.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.61 CA$3.67

17.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 $13.80

$14.00 CA$19.65

-1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 $13.27

$15.40 CA$21.61

-13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.50 CA$3.50

-26.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.09 CA$4.34

-34.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.17 CA$1.65

-26.50%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$27.9K CA$39.2K

-1.50%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

20.60%

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

$131 $131

$167 CA$234

-21.36%

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

$62.0 $62.0

$38.27 CA$53.7

62.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$50.9 CA$71.5

42.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 $51.6

$51.0 CA$71.5

1.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

Cinema Ticket

$14.45 $14.45

$14.44 CA$20.27

0.07%

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

$1,815 $1,815

$545 CA$766

232.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K $29.5K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

81.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.49 $23.49

$58.9 CA$82.6

-60.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.76 $38.76

$39.75 CA$55.8

-2.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 $79.2

$93.4 CA$131

-15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$110 CA$154

-8.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 $2,048

$1,254 CA$1,760

63.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 $1,730

$1,056 CA$1,483

63.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,608 $2,608

$2,022 CA$2,838

28.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 $2,862

$1,629 CA$2,286

75.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,821 $2,821

$3,243 CA$4,551

-13.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,930 $3,930

$3,115 CA$4,372

26.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

4.51

47.23%

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

Last update for Northampton, MA: 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

Northampton, MA

$1.7K 60.9%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 38.9% $674

Groceries & Markets

Northampton, MA

$365 * 12.8%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 7.6% $28

Eating Out

Northampton, MA

$291 10.2%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 6.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Northampton, MA

$266 9.4%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 3.7% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Northampton, MA

$109 3.8%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 24.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Northampton, MA

$81 2.8%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Northampton, MA

- * 0%

Calgary

$111 4.8%

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 $2,048 in Northampton, MA and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Northampton, MA pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Northampton, MA vs $70 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $365 vs $393, with Northampton, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Northampton, MA

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

2 h behind Northampton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,549

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Northampton, MA Calgary 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Northampton, MA
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

Northampton, MA vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in utilities and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Northampton, MA, 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: $2,048 in Northampton, MA versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,815 in Northampton, MA 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 Calgary – a meal for two runs $70 versus $79 in Northampton, MA. 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.

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