Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philadelphia, PA and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $2,860 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,860

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,860 in Philadelphia, PA versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Philadelphia, PA $2,860
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,270 in Philadelphia, PA versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Philadelphia, PA $4,270
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,680 in Philadelphia, PA versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Philadelphia, PA $5,680
Calgary $4,493

Living in Philadelphia, PA is roughly 28% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Philadelphia, PA 113% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.06 $22.06

$17.22 CA$24.54

28.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 $80.3

$71.2 CA$101

12.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.69 $12.69

$10.56 CA$15.06

20.17%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$3.77 CA$5.38

40.85%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.91 CA$2.73

58.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.84 CA$2.63

24.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$4.86 CA$6.93

24.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.90 $7.90

$5.55 CA$7.91

42.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.88 CA$2.68

-23.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.73 CA$3.89

65.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.13 $7.13

$5.34 CA$7.61

33.52%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$3.77 CA$5.37

31.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.00 $12.00

$11.29 CA$16.09

6.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$11.46 CA$16.34

10.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.97 $17.97

$18.26 CA$26.03

-1.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$4.64 CA$6.62

17.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.44 CA$2.05

11.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$4.22 CA$6.02

23.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.86 CA$5.50

36.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.62 CA$3.74

4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.66 CA$3.79

16.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.59 CA$3.69

-6.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.53 CA$2.19

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.96 $12.96

$14.26 CA$20.32

-9.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$15.27 CA$21.76

-2.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.41 CA$3.44

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.09 CA$4.41

39.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.88 CA$4.11

2.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.4 $99.4

$88.7 CA$126

12.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.23 CA$4.61

-15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.38 CA$1.97

13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.39 $24.39

$26.49 CA$37.75

-7.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.18 CA$1.68

-2.54%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$28.3K CA$40.3K

29.86%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

25.77%

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

$215 $215

$159 CA$227

34.99%

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

$62.9 $62.9

$37.61 CA$53.6

67.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 $65.0

$49.68 CA$70.8

30.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.3 $83.3

$53.3 CA$75.9

56.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 $93.5

$18.31 CA$26.10

410.81%

Cinema Ticket

$15.54 $15.54

$14.08 CA$20.06

10.37%

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

$2,192 $2,192

$809 CA$1,154

170.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.4K $42.4K

$15.9K CA$22.6K

167.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.19 $49.19

$58.8 CA$83.8

-16.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.79 $46.79

$38.84 CA$55.4

20.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$91.4 CA$130

13.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$109 CA$155

29.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 $1,998

$1,237 CA$1,764

61.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$996 CA$1,420

31.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,322 $4,322

$1,908 CA$2,720

126.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,671 CA$2,382

31.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,022 $4,022

$3,530 CA$5,032

13.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,883 $1,883

$3,336 CA$4,755

-43.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,530 $4,530

$3,130 CA$4,461

44.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

4.51

46.78%

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

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 46.1%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 23.8% $311

Groceries & Markets

Philadelphia, PA

$449 15.9%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 13.8% $62

Eating Out

Philadelphia, PA

$346 12.2%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 23.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philadelphia, PA

$343 12.1%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 28.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Philadelphia, PA

$153 5.4%

Calgary

$134 6% 12.4% $19

Getting Around

Philadelphia, PA

$122 4.3%

Calgary

$110 5% 9.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Philadelphia, PA

$114 4%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 28.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,998 in Philadelphia, PA and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philadelphia, PA pays 45% 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: $80.0 in Philadelphia, PA vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $449 vs $387 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

2 h behind Philadelphia, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,573,916

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Philadelphia, PA Calgary 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Philadelphia, PA vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Philadelphia, PA, 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: $1,998 in Philadelphia, PA versus $1,237 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 $71.0 versus $80.0 in Philadelphia, PA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,860 per month in Philadelphia, PA versus $2,232 in Calgary – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,860 in Philadelphia, PA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Philadelphia, PA. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Philadelphia, PA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Philadelphia, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.