Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta Cana and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Punta Cana: $732 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Punta Cana
Learn more

Punta Cana Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Punta Cana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$732

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $732 in Punta Cana versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Punta Cana $732
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,677 in Punta Cana versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Punta Cana $1,677
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,622 in Punta Cana versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Punta Cana $2,622
Calgary $4,379

Living in Punta Cana costs roughly 67% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Punta Cana is 46% below, Calgary is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.29 DOP 506

$17.22 CA$24.46

-51.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.44 DOP 2,531

$71.1 CA$101

-41.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 DOP 426

$10.53 CA$14.97

-33.71%

Cappuccino

$1.81 DOP 111

$3.66 CA$5.20

-50.55%

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

$0.71 DOP 43.32

$1.98 CA$2.82

-64.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 DOP 24.70

$1.94 CA$2.76

-79.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 DOP 149

$4.95 CA$7.04

-50.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 DOP 235

$5.57 CA$7.91

-30.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 73.6

$1.88 CA$2.67

-36.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 DOP 110

$2.67 CA$3.80

-32.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 DOP 87.1

$5.32 CA$7.55

-73.12%

Eggs

$1.44 DOP 87.8

$3.79 CA$5.38

-62.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 DOP 392

$11.09 CA$15.76

-42.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 DOP 213

$11.36 CA$16.13

-69.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.65 DOP 284

$18.40 CA$26.14

-74.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 DOP 179

$4.56 CA$6.48

-35.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 DOP 88.1

$1.44 CA$2.05

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 DOP 205

$4.08 CA$5.79

-17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 DOP 130

$3.89 CA$5.52

-44.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 DOP 213

$2.64 CA$3.75

32.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 DOP 178

$2.64 CA$3.75

10.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 DOP 53.0

$2.50 CA$3.55

-65.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 DOP 98.3

$1.50 CA$2.13

7.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 DOP 296

$14.05 CA$19.96

-65.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.63 DOP 1,016

$15.70 CA$22.31

5.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 DOP 177

$2.44 CA$3.46

18.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 DOP 202

$3.09 CA$4.39

7.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 DOP 83.6

$2.82 CA$4.01

-51.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 DOP 154

$3.12 CA$4.43

-18.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 DOP 199

$1.35 CA$1.92

140.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.39

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 DOP 86.7

$1.16 CA$1.65

22.41%

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

$14.6K DOP 889.4K

$27.9K CA$39.6K

-47.81%

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

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

$20.3K CA$28.9K

22.83%

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

$93.1 DOP 5,688

$161 CA$228

-42.06%

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

$26.76 DOP 1,634

$38.13 CA$54.2

-29.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.04 DOP 2,323

$50.0 CA$71.1

-23.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.2 DOP 5,143

$51.5 CA$73.2

63.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 DOP 985

$18.14 CA$25.77

-11.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 DOP 307

$13.82 CA$19.63

-63.60%

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

$147 DOP 8,983

$786 CA$1,117

-81.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,484 DOP 334.9K

$15.5K CA$22.0K

-64.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.44 DOP 1,615

$58.3 CA$82.8

-54.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 DOP 2,786

$39.27 CA$55.8

16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 DOP 3,682

$89.8 CA$128

-32.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 DOP 4,035

$110 CA$156

-39.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 DOP 58.0K

$1,229 CA$1,746

-22.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,422

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 DOP 159.2K

$1,921 CA$2,729

35.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 DOP 60.9K

$1,621 CA$2,303

-38.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,908 DOP 177.6K

$3,549 CA$5,043

-18.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,250 DOP 76.4K

$3,335 CA$4,738

-62.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,496

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

143.90%

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

Last update for Punta Cana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Punta Cana

$233 31.8%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 65.3% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punta Cana

$158 21.6%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 57.6% $91

Eating Out

Punta Cana

$133 18.2%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 98.6% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Punta Cana

$94 12.9%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 16.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Punta Cana

$89 12.2%

Calgary

$134 6% 49.7% $44

Getting Around

Punta Cana

$24 * 3.3%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 353% $86

Accommodation & Living

Punta Cana

- * 0%

Calgary

$1K 45%

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 $950 in Punta Cana and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $41.00 in Punta Cana vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $385 per month, with Punta Cana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Punta Cana

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

12:30 12:30 PM

2 h behind Punta Cana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,023

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Punta Cana Calgary 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Punta Cana
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

Punta Cana vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Punta Cana is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 204% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,098 in Punta Cana and $3,335 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $950 in Punta Cana versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $147 in Punta Cana 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 Punta Cana – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $732 in Punta Cana versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Punta Cana but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Punta Cana 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 Punta Cana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 204% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.