Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quesnel and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Quesnel and in Calgary: $2,330 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

Cost of Living Index in Quesnel
Learn more

Quesnel Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Quesnel

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,330

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,330 in Quesnel versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Quesnel $2,330
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,279 in Quesnel versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Quesnel $3,279
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,227 in Quesnel versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Quesnel $4,227
Calgary $4,379

Living in Quesnel is roughly 5% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quesnel 73% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.27 CA$23.00

$17.22 CA$24.34

-5.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.91 CA$63.5

$71.1 CA$100

-36.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 CA$15.41

$10.53 CA$14.89

3.51%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.69

$3.66 CA$5.18

9.84%

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

$2.38 CA$3.36

$1.98 CA$2.80

20.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 CA$2.81

$1.94 CA$2.74

2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 CA$6.37

$4.95 CA$7.00

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CA$8.12

$5.57 CA$7.87

3.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.88 CA$2.65

20.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$2.67 CA$3.78

-8.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.59

$5.32 CA$7.52

-25.75%

Eggs

$4.66 CA$6.59

$3.79 CA$5.35

22.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 CA$16.72

$11.09 CA$15.68

6.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.49 CA$23.31

$11.36 CA$16.05

45.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 CA$23.40

$18.40 CA$26.01

-10.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.72

$4.56 CA$6.45

-11.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.44 CA$2.04

-10.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 CA$6.17

$4.08 CA$5.76

6.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 CA$6.03

$3.89 CA$5.50

9.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.30

$2.64 CA$3.73

15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.15

$2.64 CA$3.73

37.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.50 CA$3.54

-1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.50 CA$2.12

14.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.87 CA$16.78

$14.05 CA$19.86

-15.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 CA$14.79

$15.70 CA$22.20

-33.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$2.44 CA$3.45

4.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 CA$4.58

$3.09 CA$4.37

4.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.82 CA$3.99

-21.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 CA$78.7

$88.6 CA$125

-37.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 CA$3.53

$3.12 CA$4.41

-20.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 CA$3.03

$1.35 CA$1.91

59.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 CA$58.6

$27.02 CA$38.20

53.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$1.16 CA$1.64

6.90%

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

$28.6K CA$40.4K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

2.46%

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

$22.1K CA$31.2K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

8.61%

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

$172 CA$243

$161 CA$227

7.07%

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

$38.46 CA$54.4

$38.13 CA$53.9

0.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 CA$97.7

$50.0 CA$70.7

38.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.54 CA$57.3

$51.5 CA$72.8

-21.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$25.89

$18.14 CA$25.64

0.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 CA$10.26

$13.82 CA$19.54

-47.47%

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

$736 CA$1,041

$786 CA$1,111

-6.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K CA$17.5K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-19.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.45 CA$51.5

$58.3 CA$82.4

-37.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.75 CA$64.7

$39.27 CA$55.5

16.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 CA$108

$89.8 CA$127

-14.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$110 CA$155

-2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 CA$1,089

$1,229 CA$1,737

-37.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 CA$1,601

$1,001 CA$1,415

13.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 CA$2,701

$1,921 CA$2,716

-0.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,664 CA$2,353

$1,621 CA$2,292

2.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,754 CA$5,306

$3,549 CA$5,018

5.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,780 CA$5,344

$3,335 CA$4,715

13.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 CA$3,427

$3,165 CA$4,474

-23.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.35

4.51

18.63%

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

Last update for Quesnel: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quesnel

$1.1K 48.6%

Calgary

$1K 45% 11.6% $131

Groceries & Markets

Quesnel

$403 17.3%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 4.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quesnel

$280 12%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 11% $31

Eating Out

Quesnel

$263 11.3%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 0.9% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Quesnel

$120 5.1%

Calgary

$134 6% 11.8% $14

Getting Around

Quesnel

$78 3.3%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 41.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Quesnel

$55 2.4%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 43.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Quesnel and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Quesnel vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $385, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quesnel

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

1 h ahead of Quesnel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,007

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quesnel Calgary 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Quesnel
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

Quesnel vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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: $771 in Quesnel 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 Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $45.00 in Quesnel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,330 per month in Quesnel versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,330 in Quesnel, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Quesnel. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Quesnel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.