Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oshawa and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,297 a month against $2,370 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oshawa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,370 in Oshawa versus $2,297 in Calgary.

Oshawa $2,370
Calgary $2,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Oshawa versus $3,378 in Calgary.

Oshawa $3,414
Calgary $3,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,457 in Oshawa versus $4,459 in Calgary.

Oshawa $4,457
Calgary $4,459

Living in Oshawa is roughly 3% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oshawa 75% above, Calgary 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 CA$19.90

$17.94 CA$25.05

-20.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$88.7

$68.9 CA$96.1

-7.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 CA$11.63

$10.94 CA$15.27

-23.86%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$4.95

$3.70 CA$5.17

-4.32%

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

$1.77 CA$2.47

$2.07 CA$2.89

-14.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 CA$1.90

$2.04 CA$2.85

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.79

$5.74 CA$8.02

-15.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 CA$8.43

$5.70 CA$7.96

5.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$1.98 CA$2.76

46.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.65 CA$3.70

9.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 CA$5.75

$5.84 CA$8.15

-29.45%

Eggs

$2.97 CA$4.14

$3.81 CA$5.33

-22.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 CA$14.15

$10.81 CA$15.08

-6.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.74 CA$19.19

$11.02 CA$15.38

24.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.60 CA$23.17

$17.87 CA$24.95

-7.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 CA$5.87

$4.88 CA$6.81

-13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.70

$1.45 CA$2.03

-15.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.10

$4.15 CA$5.80

-29.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.36

$3.99 CA$5.57

-3.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.69

$2.93 CA$4.09

14.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$3.02 CA$4.22

-14.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 CA$3.28

$2.67 CA$3.72

-11.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.41

$1.57 CA$2.19

10.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 CA$19.95

$14.11 CA$19.69

1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 CA$17.63

$15.45 CA$21.57

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 CA$4.92

$2.50 CA$3.50

41.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 CA$4.87

$3.18 CA$4.44

9.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.94

$2.85 CA$3.97

-1.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 CA$122

$90.2 CA$126

-3.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.82

$3.16 CA$4.41

-13.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.00

$1.41 CA$1.96

2.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.58 CA$27.33

$27.46 CA$38.33

-28.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.18 CA$1.65

5.08%

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

$28.8K CA$40.2K

$27.9K CA$38.9K

3.30%

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

$22.9K CA$32.0K

$21.1K CA$29.4K

8.84%

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

$139 CA$194

$182 CA$254

-23.58%

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

$37.94 CA$53.0

$36.01 CA$50.3

5.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CA$75.9

$48.80 CA$68.1

11.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.91 CA$31.98

$48.78 CA$68.1

-53.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.28 CA$40.87

$18.15 CA$25.34

61.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.17

$14.52 CA$20.26

-25.21%

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

$922 CA$1,287

$542 CA$756

70.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,083 CA$11.3K

$21.2K CA$29.5K

-61.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$81.4

$59.1 CA$82.5

-1.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 CA$80.5

$42.34 CA$59.1

36.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 CA$150

$94.2 CA$131

13.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 CA$180

$109 CA$152

18.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 CA$1,954

$1,214 CA$1,694

15.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,685

$1,036 CA$1,447

16.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 CA$2,795

$2,045 CA$2,855

-2.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 CA$2,546

$1,655 CA$2,310

10.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,158 CA$7,200

$3,653 CA$5,099

41.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.3K CA$14.4K

$3,183 CA$4,443

224.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,256

$3,219 CA$4,493

-5.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

4.43

2.26%

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

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9%

Calgary

$1K 45.1% 14.2% $171

Groceries & Markets

Oshawa

$390 16.5%

Calgary

$390 17% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oshawa

$231 9.8%

Calgary

$267 11.6% 15.3% $35

Eating Out

Oshawa

$230 9.7%

Calgary

$277 12.1% 20.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Oshawa

$158 6.7%

Calgary

$137 6% 13.6% $22

Getting Around

Oshawa

$108 4.6%

Calgary

$112 4.9% 3.2% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Oshawa

$45 1.9%

Calgary

$78 3.4% 74.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Oshawa and $1,214 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64 in Oshawa vs $69 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $390 per month, with Oshawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h behind Oshawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,458

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Oshawa Calgary 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Oshawa
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

Oshawa vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Oshawa. 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: $1,400 in Oshawa versus $1,214 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $922 in Oshawa versus $542 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Oshawa – a meal for two runs $64 versus $69 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.