Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prince Rupert, BC and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Prince Rupert, BC: $1,967 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Prince Rupert, BC
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Prince Rupert, BC Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Prince Rupert, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,967

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,967 in Prince Rupert, BC versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Prince Rupert, BC $1,967
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,109 in Prince Rupert, BC versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Prince Rupert, BC $3,109
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,251 in Prince Rupert, BC versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Prince Rupert, BC $4,251
Calgary $4,379

Living in Prince Rupert, BC costs roughly 12% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Prince Rupert, BC 46% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 CA$24.71

$17.22 CA$24.34

1.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 CA$93.1

$71.1 CA$100

-7.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$10.53 CA$14.89

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.66 CA$5.18

-0.82%

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

$2.02 CA$2.86

$1.98 CA$2.80

2.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.94 CA$2.74

-20.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 CA$7.63

$4.95 CA$7.00

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.88

$5.57 CA$7.87

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CA$2.67

$1.88 CA$2.65

0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 CA$3.47

$2.67 CA$3.78

-7.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$5.32 CA$7.52

-40.04%

Eggs

$4.97 CA$7.03

$3.79 CA$5.35

31.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 CA$13.61

$11.09 CA$15.68

-13.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.32 CA$17.42

$11.36 CA$16.05

8.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 CA$21.04

$18.40 CA$26.01

-19.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$4.56 CA$6.45

-62.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CA$1.45

$1.44 CA$2.04

-28.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.86

$4.08 CA$5.76

1.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.38

$3.89 CA$5.50

-2.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$2.64 CA$3.73

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.64 CA$3.73

-14.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 CA$3.27

$2.50 CA$3.54

-7.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$1.50 CA$2.12

15.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.86 CA$19.59

$14.05 CA$19.86

-1.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.29 CA$20.20

$15.70 CA$22.20

-8.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.44 CA$3.45

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.09 CA$4.37

0.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 CA$3.25

$2.82 CA$3.99

-18.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 CA$92.6

$88.6 CA$125

-26.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 CA$4.01

$3.12 CA$4.41

-9.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 CA$2.32

$1.35 CA$1.91

21.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.25 CA$35.69

$27.02 CA$38.20

-6.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.16 CA$1.64

13.79%

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

$30.3K CA$42.8K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

8.45%

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

$18.3K CA$25.9K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

-10.08%

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

$150 CA$213

$161 CA$227

-6.47%

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

$39.36 CA$55.6

$38.13 CA$53.9

3.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.50 CA$68.6

$50.0 CA$70.7

-3.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.18 CA$54.0

$51.5 CA$72.8

-25.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.30 CA$24.45

$18.14 CA$25.64

-4.63%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.85

$13.82 CA$19.54

-18.89%

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

$646 CA$913

$786 CA$1,111

-17.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K CA$19.0K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-13.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.6

$58.3 CA$82.4

-8.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 CA$58.5

$39.27 CA$55.5

5.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 CA$118

$89.8 CA$127

-6.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 CA$133

$110 CA$155

-14.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 CA$1,491

$1,229 CA$1,737

-14.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 CA$1,188

$1,001 CA$1,415

-16.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 CA$2,731

$1,921 CA$2,716

0.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 CA$2,423

$1,621 CA$2,292

5.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,875 CA$5,478

$3,549 CA$5,018

9.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,474 CA$4,912

$3,335 CA$4,715

4.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 CA$4,463

$3,165 CA$4,474

-0.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

4.51

3.33%

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

Last update for Prince Rupert, BC: October 13, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Prince Rupert, BC

$841 42.7%

Calgary

$1K 45% 19.1% $161

Groceries & Markets

Prince Rupert, BC

$351 17.9%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 9.7% $34

Eating Out

Prince Rupert, BC

$267 13.6%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 0.9% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Prince Rupert, BC

$238 12.1%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 4.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Prince Rupert, BC

$123 6.2%

Calgary

$134 6% 8.9% $11

Getting Around

Prince Rupert, BC

$86 4.4%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 28.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Prince Rupert, BC

$61 3.1%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 30.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,054 in Prince Rupert, BC and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 0% 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: $66.0 in Prince Rupert, BC vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $385 per month, with Prince Rupert, BC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Prince Rupert, BC

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

09:54 9:54 AM

1 h ahead of Prince Rupert, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,220

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Prince Rupert, BC Calgary 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Prince Rupert, BC vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Prince Rupert, BC is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 0% 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: $1,054 in Prince Rupert, BC versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Prince Rupert, BC – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,967 per month in Prince Rupert, BC versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,967 in Prince Rupert, BC versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Prince Rupert, BC but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Prince Rupert, BC 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.

Expats usually find Prince Rupert, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.