Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queens, NY and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,255 a month against $3,339 in Queens, NY, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Queens, NY
Learn more

Queens, NY Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Queens, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,339

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,339 in Queens, NY versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Queens, NY $3,339
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,831 in Queens, NY versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Queens, NY $4,831
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,323 in Queens, NY versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Queens, NY $6,323
Calgary $4,468

Living in Queens, NY is roughly 48% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Queens, NY 146% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.16 $19.16

$17.58 CA$24.85

8.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 $80.1

$69.1 CA$97.6

15.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$10.59 CA$14.97

23.14%

Cappuccino

$6.18 $6.18

$3.84 CA$5.42

60.94%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.93 CA$2.72

31.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.88 CA$2.66

-20.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.25 $9.25

$5.09 CA$7.20

81.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$5.64 CA$7.97

22.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.00 CA$2.82

-36.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.78 CA$3.93

56.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$5.59 CA$7.90

7.69%

Eggs

$6.88 $6.88

$3.70 CA$5.23

85.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 $13.73

$11.48 CA$16.23

19.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$11.20 CA$15.84

-7.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.51 $19.51

$18.59 CA$26.28

4.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$4.70 CA$6.64

27.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.45 CA$2.05

140.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$4.34 CA$6.13

1.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$3.79 CA$5.36

37.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.69 CA$3.81

12.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.75 CA$3.88

10.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.56 CA$3.62

21.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.50 CA$2.12

106.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.63 $14.63

$14.39 CA$20.34

1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$15.81 CA$22.35

-6.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.47 CA$3.49

-25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.10 CA$4.39

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.81 CA$3.97

4.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$90.6 CA$128

44.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.28 CA$4.64

-9.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.40 CA$1.97

58.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.49 $41.49

$26.49 CA$37.45

56.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.22 CA$1.72

-10.66%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-1.85%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

22.58%

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

$175 $175

$165 CA$233

6.18%

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

$49.84 $49.84

$38.24 CA$54.1

30.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$50.1 CA$70.9

1.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.68 $45.68

$53.8 CA$76.1

-15.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$18.04 CA$25.51

274.83%

Cinema Ticket

$20.43 $20.43

$14.04 CA$19.84

45.51%

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

$1,979 $1,979

$797 CA$1,126

148.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$15.8K CA$22.3K

2.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 $49.52

$59.1 CA$83.5

-16.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 $81.0

$40.20 CA$56.8

101.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$90.8 CA$128

-5.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$109 CA$155

-5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$1,207 CA$1,707

88.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$1,011 CA$1,429

84.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,863 $5,863

$1,949 CA$2,756

200.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 $2,964

$1,677 CA$2,371

76.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,775 $8,775

$3,532 CA$4,993

148.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,134 $6,134

$3,392 CA$4,795

80.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 $3,625

$3,152 CA$4,456

14.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

4.51

50.78%

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

Last update for Queens, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queens, NY

$1.9K 56%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 45.9% $859

Groceries & Markets

Queens, NY

$464 13.9%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 15.7% $73

Eating Out

Queens, NY

$343 10.3%

Calgary

$270 12% 21.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queens, NY

$275 8.3%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 8.1% $22

Getting Around

Queens, NY

$156 4.7%

Calgary

$112 5% 28.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Queens, NY

$144 4.3%

Calgary

$135 6% 6.4% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Queens, NY

$87 2.6%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 5.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,272 in Queens, NY and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queens, NY pays 15% 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: $80.0 in Queens, NY vs $69.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $464 vs $392 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Queens, NY

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

2 h behind Queens, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,405,464

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Queens, NY Calgary 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Queens, NY
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

Queens, NY vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Queens, NY, 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: $2,272 in Queens, NY versus $1,207 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $80.0 in Queens, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,339 per month in Queens, NY versus $2,255 in Calgary – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,255 in Calgary versus $3,339 in Queens, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Queens, NY. 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 Queens, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Queens, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.