Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $929 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$929

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $929 in Portsmouth versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Portsmouth $929
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,626 in Portsmouth versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Portsmouth $1,626
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,323 in Portsmouth versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Portsmouth $2,323
Calgary $4,493

Living in Portsmouth costs roughly 58% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portsmouth is 31% below, Calgary is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 EC$14.84

$17.22 CA$24.54

-68.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 EC$152

$71.2 CA$101

-21.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 EC$18.44

$10.56 CA$15.06

-35.32%

Cappuccino

$2.67 EC$7.20

$3.77 CA$5.38

-29.18%

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

$2.19 EC$5.91

$1.91 CA$2.73

14.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.05

$1.84 CA$2.63

1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 EC$6.84

$4.86 CA$6.93

-47.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 EC$10.07

$5.55 CA$7.91

-32.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 EC$7.72

$1.88 CA$2.68

52.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 EC$6.03

$2.73 CA$3.89

-18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 EC$5.43

$5.34 CA$7.61

-62.36%

Eggs

$6.50 EC$17.55

$3.77 CA$5.37

72.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.66 EC$7.17

$11.29 CA$16.09

-76.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 EC$14.80

$11.46 CA$16.34

-52.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

Apples (1kg)

$7.21 EC$19.46

$4.64 CA$6.62

55.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 EC$6.93

$1.44 CA$2.05

78.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 EC$10.81

$4.22 CA$6.02

-5.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 EC$11.17

$3.86 CA$5.50

7.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 EC$7.84

$2.62 CA$3.74

10.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 EC$7.51

$2.66 CA$3.79

4.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 EC$4.91

$2.59 CA$3.69

-29.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 EC$5.13

$1.53 CA$2.19

24.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 EC$30.56

$15.27 CA$21.76

-25.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.06

$2.41 CA$3.44

-22.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 EC$7.20

$3.09 CA$4.41

-13.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 EC$2.03

$2.88 CA$4.11

-73.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 EC$9.90

$3.23 CA$4.61

13.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 EC$9.93

$1.38 CA$1.97

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.68

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

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

$159 CA$227

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

$40.78 EC$110

$37.61 CA$53.6

8.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 EC$172

$49.68 CA$70.8

28.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.97 EC$99.8

$53.3 CA$75.9

-30.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 EC$30.01

$14.08 CA$20.06

-21.09%

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

$809 CA$1,154

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 EC$151

$58.8 CA$83.8

-4.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.90 EC$64.5

$38.84 CA$55.4

-38.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 EC$151

$91.4 CA$130

-38.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 EC$178

$109 CA$155

-39.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 EC$696

$1,237 CA$1,764

-79.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 EC$602

$996 CA$1,420

-77.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 EC$1,808

$1,908 CA$2,720

-64.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 EC$1,667

$1,671 CA$2,382

-63.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 EC$1,691

$3,130 CA$4,461

-79.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

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

Last update for Portsmouth: October 4, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth

–

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

–

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Eating Out

Portsmouth

–

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

–

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

–

Calgary

$134 6%

Getting Around

Portsmouth

–

Calgary

$110 5%

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

–

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $258 in Portsmouth and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 400% 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: $56.0 in Portsmouth vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $387 per month, with Portsmouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

05:55 5:55 AM

2 h behind Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,633

1,267,344

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 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).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portsmouth Calgary 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 140% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 400% lower in Calgary. 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: $258 in Portsmouth versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Calgary. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Portsmouth – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $929 in Portsmouth versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Portsmouth but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Portsmouth the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Portsmouth and Calgary are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Portsmouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.