Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Owen Sound and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Owen Sound: $2,042 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Owen Sound
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Owen Sound Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,042

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Owen Sound versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Owen Sound $2,042
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,127 in Owen Sound versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Owen Sound $3,127
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,212 in Owen Sound versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Owen Sound $4,212
Calgary $4,428

Living in Owen Sound costs roughly 11% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Owen Sound 50% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.32 CA$20.09

$17.55 CA$24.63

-18.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.61 CA$66.8

$70.4 CA$98.8

-32.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 CA$12.90

$10.69 CA$15.00

-14.03%

Cappuccino

$3.58 CA$5.02

$3.89 CA$5.46

-7.97%

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

$2.12 CA$2.98

$2.04 CA$2.86

3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$1.88 CA$2.64

-6.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.33 CA$6.07

$4.90 CA$6.87

-11.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 CA$8.09

$5.78 CA$8.11

-0.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.41

$1.96 CA$2.75

23.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.87

$2.74 CA$3.84

0.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.93

$5.46 CA$7.67

-35.71%

Eggs

$4.36 CA$6.12

$3.69 CA$5.17

18.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 CA$13.85

$11.24 CA$15.78

-12.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.08 CA$22.57

$11.54 CA$16.19

39.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.97 CA$33.64

$18.38 CA$25.79

30.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.72

$4.90 CA$6.88

-31.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$1.42 CA$2.00

30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 CA$4.56

$4.21 CA$5.91

-22.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.98

$4.02 CA$5.65

-29.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.35

$2.69 CA$3.78

-11.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$2.66 CA$3.74

-1.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 CA$3.06

$2.61 CA$3.67

-16.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.60 CA$2.24

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.67 CA$19.19

$14.00 CA$19.65

-2.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.30

$15.40 CA$21.61

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 CA$6.43

$2.50 CA$3.50

83.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 CA$6.85

$3.09 CA$4.34

57.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$2.93 CA$4.11

-28.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.0 CA$87.0

$89.3 CA$125

-30.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 CA$6.37

$3.27 CA$4.59

38.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.08 CA$35.19

$27.39 CA$38.43

-8.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.57

$1.17 CA$1.65

-4.27%

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

$26.8K CA$37.6K

$27.9K CA$39.2K

-4.12%

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

$21.7K CA$30.5K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

3.39%

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

$89.7 CA$126

$167 CA$234

-46.19%

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

$29.11 CA$40.85

$38.27 CA$53.7

-23.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.43 CA$66.6

$50.9 CA$71.5

-6.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 CA$162

$51.0 CA$71.5

126.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.66 CA$58.5

$18.17 CA$25.50

129.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 CA$10.91

$14.44 CA$20.27

-46.19%

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

$478 CA$672

$545 CA$766

-12.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,258 CA$10.2K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-55.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.42 CA$49.71

$58.9 CA$82.6

-39.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.63 CA$38.78

$39.75 CA$55.8

-30.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 CA$122

$93.4 CA$131

-6.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 CA$151

$110 CA$154

-1.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 CA$1,882

$1,254 CA$1,760

6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 CA$1,268

$1,056 CA$1,483

-14.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,200 CA$3,087

$2,022 CA$2,838

8.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 CA$2,293

$1,629 CA$2,286

0.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,971 CA$4,169

$3,115 CA$4,372

-4.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.26

4.51

16.63%

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

Last update for Owen Sound: 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

Owen Sound

$903 44.2%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 16.9% $153

Groceries & Markets

Owen Sound

$417 20.4%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 5.8% $24

Eating Out

Owen Sound

$234 11.4%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 15.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Owen Sound

$166 8.1%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 53.9% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Owen Sound

$131 6.4%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 39.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Owen Sound

$116 5.7%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 17.1% $20

Getting Around

Owen Sound

$75 * 3.7%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 48.1% $36

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 $1,341 in Owen Sound 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: $48 in Owen Sound vs $70 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $417 vs $393, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

19:55 7:55 PM

2 h behind Owen Sound

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,341

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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Owen Sound Calgary 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Owen Sound
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

Owen Sound vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Owen Sound is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Owen Sound. 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: $1,341 in Owen Sound 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 Owen Sound – a meal for two runs $48 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,042 per month in Owen Sound versus $2,303 in Calgary – Owen Sound is about 11% 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.

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