Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prince George and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Prince George: $2,144 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Prince George, Canada
Calgary, Canada
Prince George
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,144
/mo nomad
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,144 in Prince George versus $2,303 in Calgary.

  • Prince George $2,144
  • Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,217 in Prince George versus $3,366 in Calgary.

  • Prince George $3,217
  • Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,289 in Prince George versus $4,428 in Calgary.

  • Prince George $4,289
  • Calgary $4,428

Living in Prince George costs roughly 7% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Prince George 58% above, Calgary 69% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.02 CA$25.18
$17.55 CA$24.53
2.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.3 CA$101
$70.4 CA$98.4
2.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.78 CA$12.27
$10.69 CA$14.94
-17.87%
Cappuccino
$3.83 CA$5.36
$3.89 CA$5.44
-1.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 CA$3.10
$2.04 CA$2.85
8.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 CA$3.17
$1.88 CA$2.62
20.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.76 CA$8.05
$4.90 CA$6.84
17.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.23 CA$10.10
$5.78 CA$8.08
25.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 CA$2.65
$1.96 CA$2.74
-3.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.45 CA$3.43
$2.74 CA$3.83
-10.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.77 CA$6.67
$5.46 CA$7.63
-12.64%
Eggs
$4.31 CA$6.03
$3.69 CA$5.15
16.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.26 CA$8.74
$11.24 CA$15.72
-44.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.95 CA$19.50
$11.54 CA$16.13
20.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.25 CA$19.91
$18.38 CA$25.68
-22.47%
Apples (1kg)
$4.17 CA$5.83
$4.90 CA$6.85
-14.90%
Banana (1kg)
$2.77 CA$3.87
$1.42 CA$1.99
95.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.30 CA$7.41
$4.21 CA$5.89
25.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.87 CA$5.40
$4.02 CA$5.62
-3.73%
Potato (1kg)
$3.03 CA$4.23
$2.69 CA$3.77
12.64%
Onion (1kg)
$2.31 CA$3.23
$2.66 CA$3.72
-13.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.04 CA$4.24
$2.61 CA$3.65
16.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.19 CA$3.06
$1.60 CA$2.23
36.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.91 CA$20.83
$14.00 CA$19.57
6.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.76 CA$15.04
$15.40 CA$21.52
-30.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.65 CA$7.90
$2.50 CA$3.49
126.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.09 CA$4.32
-
🚌 Getting Around
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.90 CA$2.65
$2.93 CA$4.10
-35.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.07 CA$61.6
$89.3 CA$125
-50.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.94 CA$4.11
$3.27 CA$4.57
-10.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 CA$2.38
$1.35 CA$1.89
26.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.80 CA$45.84
$27.39 CA$38.28
19.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 CA$1.81
$1.17 CA$1.64
11.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K CA$38.3K
$27.9K CA$39.1K
-1.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.1K CA$30.9K
$21.0K CA$29.4K
5.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$169 CA$237
$167 CA$233
1.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.10 CA$58.8
$38.27 CA$53.5
10.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$61.0 CA$85.2
$50.9 CA$71.2
19.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.66 CA$61.0
$51.0 CA$71.2
-14.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.88 CA$24.99
$18.17 CA$25.40
-1.60%
Cinema Ticket
$8.98 CA$12.56
$14.44 CA$20.18
-37.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$410 CA$573
$545 CA$762
-24.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$16.2K CA$22.7K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.8 CA$85.0
$58.9 CA$82.3
3.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 CA$54.2
$39.75 CA$55.6
-2.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.5 CA$129
$93.4 CA$130
-0.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$152 CA$213
$110 CA$154
38.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 CA$1,580
$1,254 CA$1,753
-9.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$923 CA$1,290
$1,056 CA$1,477
-12.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,749 CA$2,444
$2,022 CA$2,826
-13.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,553 CA$2,171
$1,629 CA$2,276
-4.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,600 CA$5,032
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,243 CA$4,532
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Prince George
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,068 CA$4,288
$3,115 CA$4,354
-1.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.96
4.51
9.98%

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

Last update for Prince George: October 27, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Prince George
$923
Calgary
$1.1K 14.4% $133
Groceries & Markets
Prince George
$391 *
Calgary
$393 0.4% $1.7
Eating Out
Prince George
$278
Calgary
$271 2.5% $6.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Prince George
$272
Calgary
$256 6.1% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Prince George
$155
Calgary
$136 12.3% $19
Getting Around
Prince George
$63
Calgary
$111 75.9% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Prince George
$62
Calgary
$80 29.5% $18

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 $1,131 in Prince George and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $72 in Prince George vs $70 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $391 vs $393, with Prince George cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Prince George
🇨🇦 Calgary
🕒 Local time
22:54 10:54 PM
23:54 11:54 PM
1 h ahead of Prince George
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
71,974
1,267,344
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Prince George Calgary 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Prince George
  • 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
Prince George vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Prince George cheaper than Calgary?
Prince George is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,216 in Prince George and $3,454 in Calgary to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Prince George and Calgary?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Prince George versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $410 in Prince George versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Prince George or in Calgary?
Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $70 versus $72 in Prince George. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $3,000 enough for either Prince George or Calgary?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Prince George gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Prince George or in Calgary?
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.

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