Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth, NH and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,779 in Portsmouth, NH, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portsmouth, NH outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

136

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth, NH
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Portsmouth, NH Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Portsmouth, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,779

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,779 in Portsmouth, NH versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Portsmouth, NH $2,779
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,019 in Portsmouth, NH versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Portsmouth, NH $4,019
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,259 in Portsmouth, NH versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Portsmouth, NH $5,259
Calgary $4,379

Living in Portsmouth, NH is roughly 25% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portsmouth, NH 106% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.79 $20.79

$17.22 CA$24.34

20.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$71.1 CA$100

42.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 $8.77

$10.53 CA$14.89

-16.71%

Cappuccino

$3.88 $3.88

$3.66 CA$5.18

6.01%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.98 CA$2.80

29.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.94 CA$2.74

-22.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$4.95 CA$7.00

38.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$5.57 CA$7.87

37.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.88 CA$2.65

-30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$5.28 $5.28

$2.67 CA$3.78

97.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$5.32 CA$7.52

-21.43%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$3.79 CA$5.35

-5.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 $11.20

$11.09 CA$15.68

0.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$11.36 CA$16.05

13.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 $17.37

$18.40 CA$26.01

-5.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$4.56 CA$6.45

15.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.44 CA$2.04

48.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$4.08 CA$5.76

14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.89 CA$5.50

11.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.64 CA$3.73

-40.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.64 CA$3.73

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.50 CA$3.54

-2.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.50 CA$2.12

98.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.22 $14.22

$14.05 CA$19.86

1.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 $15.72

$15.70 CA$22.20

0.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.44 CA$3.45

-27.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.09 CA$4.37

-35.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.12 CA$4.41

90.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.35 CA$1.91

257.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.16 CA$1.64

-25.86%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

32.93%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

27.61%

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

$195 $195

$161 CA$227

21.48%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$38.13 CA$53.9

37.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 $53.1

$50.0 CA$70.7

6.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.52 $24.52

$51.5 CA$72.8

-52.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$13.82 CA$19.54

-12.95%

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

$826 $826

$786 CA$1,111

5.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K $33.8K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

118.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.06 $25.06

$58.3 CA$82.4

-57.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.36 $37.36

$39.27 CA$55.5

-4.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.1 $51.1

$89.8 CA$127

-43.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 $80.0

$110 CA$155

-27.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 $2,149

$1,229 CA$1,737

74.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$1,001 CA$1,415

57.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,227 $4,227

$1,921 CA$2,716

120.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$1,621 CA$2,292

51.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,838 $4,838

$3,549 CA$5,018

36.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,081 $3,081

$3,335 CA$4,715

-7.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,066 $6,066

$3,165 CA$4,474

91.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

4.51

35.25%

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

Last update for Portsmouth, NH: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth, NH

$1.6K 56.9%

Calgary

$1K 45% 36.7% $579

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth, NH

$426 15.3%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 9.6% $41

Eating Out

Portsmouth, NH

$305 11%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 13.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth, NH

$301 10.8%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 17.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth, NH

$87 3.1%

Calgary

$134 6% 53.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth, NH

$49 1.8%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 62.9% $31

Getting Around

Portsmouth, NH

$30 * 1.1%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 265% $80

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 $2,149 in Portsmouth, NH and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth, NH pays 92% 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: $101 in Portsmouth, NH vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $426 vs $385 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portsmouth, NH

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

2 h behind Portsmouth, NH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,535

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Portsmouth, NH Calgary 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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, NH vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Portsmouth, NH, 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: $2,149 in Portsmouth, NH versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $826 in Portsmouth, NH versus $786 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 $71.0 versus $101 in Portsmouth, NH. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,779 in Portsmouth, NH, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Portsmouth, NH. 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 Portsmouth, NH, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Portsmouth, NH 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Portsmouth, NH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.