Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,935 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
Learn more

Quebec City Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,935 in Quebec City versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Quebec City $1,935
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,912 in Quebec City versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Quebec City $2,912
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,889 in Quebec City versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Quebec City $3,889
Calgary $4,428

Living in Quebec City costs roughly 16% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quebec City 42% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 CA$29.64

$17.55 CA$24.52

20.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 CA$89.2

$70.4 CA$98.3

-9.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 CA$15.02

$10.69 CA$14.93

0.56%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.35

$3.89 CA$5.43

-1.54%

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

$2.13 CA$2.97

$2.04 CA$2.85

4.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.09

$1.88 CA$2.62

-20.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 CA$7.94

$4.90 CA$6.84

15.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CA$8.21

$5.78 CA$8.08

1.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.88

$1.96 CA$2.74

5.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$2.74 CA$3.83

5.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.78

$5.46 CA$7.63

-24.18%

Eggs

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.69 CA$5.15

-14.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 CA$12.76

$11.24 CA$15.71

-18.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 CA$15.35

$11.54 CA$16.12

-4.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 CA$14.84

$18.38 CA$25.67

-42.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$4.90 CA$6.85

-14.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.42 CA$1.99

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.18

$4.21 CA$5.88

-11.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$4.02 CA$5.62

0.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.69 CA$3.77

8.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$3.99

$2.66 CA$3.72

7.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 CA$3.81

$2.61 CA$3.65

4.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.12

$1.60 CA$2.23

-5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 CA$20.65

$14.00 CA$19.56

5.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 CA$15.86

$15.40 CA$21.51

-26.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 CA$4.52

$2.50 CA$3.49

29.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CA$4.81

$3.09 CA$4.32

11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.93 CA$4.09

-0.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 CA$98.7

$89.3 CA$125

-20.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$3.27 CA$4.57

-11.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$1.35 CA$1.89

9.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.46 CA$49.54

$27.39 CA$38.26

29.46%

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)

$28.7K CA$40.1K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

2.75%

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

$22.2K CA$31.0K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

5.39%

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

$100 CA$140

$167 CA$233

-39.90%

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

$32.19 CA$44.97

$38.27 CA$53.5

-15.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.61 CA$63.7

$50.9 CA$71.2

-10.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.12 CA$46.27

$51.0 CA$71.2

-35.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.66 CA$17.68

$18.17 CA$25.39

-30.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.75

$14.44 CA$20.18

-26.87%

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

$676 CA$945

$545 CA$762

23.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,492 CA$13.3K

$16.2K CA$22.6K

-41.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 CA$82.9

$58.9 CA$82.3

0.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$39.75 CA$55.5

28.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$93.4 CA$130

-3.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$110 CA$154

-1.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 CA$1,437

$1,254 CA$1,752

-17.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 CA$1,147

$1,056 CA$1,476

-22.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 CA$2,281

$2,022 CA$2,825

-19.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 CA$1,862

$1,629 CA$2,275

-18.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,733 CA$6,613

$3,600 CA$5,030

31.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,728 CA$3,811

$3,243 CA$4,530

-15.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,906 CA$4,060

$3,115 CA$4,352

-6.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.51

-1.55%

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

Last update for Quebec City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quebec City

$821 42.4%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 28.7% $236

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$347 18%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 13% $45

Eating Out

Quebec City

$303 15.6%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 10.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$178 9.2%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 43.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$139 7.2%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 2.2% $3

Getting Around

Quebec City

$93 4.8%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 20% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$54 2.8%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 47.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,029 in Quebec City and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 7% 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: $64 in Quebec City vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $393 per month, with Quebec City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

1 h behind Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quebec City Calgary 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Quebec City
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

Quebec City vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quebec City is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Quebec City. 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: $1,029 in Quebec City versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Quebec City – a meal for two runs $64 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,935 per month in Quebec City versus $2,303 in Calgary – Quebec City is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Expats usually find Quebec City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.