Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading, PA and Edmonton

For one person, living is cheaper in Edmonton: $2,181 a month against $2,611 in Reading, PA, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Reading, PA
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Reading, PA Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index

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Reading, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,611

/mo nomad

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reading, PA and in Edmonton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Reading, PA and in Edmonton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,611 per month in Reading, PA vs $2,181 in Edmonton, rent included.

Reading, PA $2,611
Edmonton $2,181

A couple spends around $3,660 per month in Reading, PA vs $3,217 in Edmonton, rent included.

Reading, PA $3,660
Edmonton $3,217

A family of three spends $4,709 per month in Reading, PA vs $4,252 in Edmonton, rent included.

Reading, PA $4,709
Edmonton $4,252

Reading, PA costs about 20% more than Edmonton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Reading, PA and Edmonton sit above the global median – Reading, PA by 93%, Edmonton by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.19 $24.19

$20.22 CA$28.58

19.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.4 $65.4

$76.4 CA$108

-14.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 $11.65

$9.87 CA$13.96

18.03%

Cappuccino

$4.45 $4.45

$3.96 CA$5.60

12.37%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$2.27 CA$3.22

5.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.06 CA$2.91

-27.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 $6.47

$5.86 CA$8.28

10.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$6.48 CA$9.16

22.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.62 CA$2.29

-20.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.12 CA$3.00

58.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.06 CA$4.32

19.28%

Eggs

$5.17 $5.17

$3.43 CA$4.85

50.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$10.74 CA$15.18

25.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$11.21 CA$15.85

19.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$18.92 CA$26.75

-2.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$4.15 CA$5.86

4.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.35 CA$1.90

48.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$4.37 CA$6.18

4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.92 CA$5.54

-16.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.18 CA$3.09

17.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.84 CA$2.60

46.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.42 CA$3.43

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.82 CA$2.57

-2.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$14.23 CA$20.12

-30.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$11.33 CA$16.01

34.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$3.54 CA$5.00

-51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.86 CA$4.05

7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 CA$3.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 CA$101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.86 CA$4.04

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.40 CA$1.98

58.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.24 $42.24

$21.46 CA$30.34

96.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.15 CA$1.63

-12.17%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$27.9K CA$39.4K

14.97%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$20.5K CA$29.0K

26.82%

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

$212 $212

$233 CA$330

-9.25%

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

$48.15 $48.15

$43.26 CA$61.2

11.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 $52.8

$55.0 CA$77.7

-3.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.42 $35.42

$46.05 CA$65.1

-23.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 CA$25.60

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 $20.78

$12.46 CA$17.62

66.77%

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

$3,314 $3,314

$757 CA$1,070

337.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$9,641 CA$13.6K

522.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.4 $75.4

$43.56 CA$61.6

73.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 $51.9

$47.08 CA$66.6

10.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$87.3 CA$123

36.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$95.3 CA$135

42.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 $1,493

$1,094 CA$1,546

36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 $1,288

$903 CA$1,276

42.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 $2,050

$1,706 CA$2,412

20.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$1,437 CA$2,031

26.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,879 $1,879

$2,205 CA$3,117

-14.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,862 $1,862

$1,983 CA$2,803

-6.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,768 $2,768

$3,499 CA$4,947

-20.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

4.32

53.01%

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

Last update for Reading, PA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Edmonton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reading, PA

$1.3K 49.3%

Edmonton

$903 41.4% 29.9% $386

Groceries & Markets

Reading, PA

$402 15.4%

Edmonton

$362 16.6% 9.8% $40

Eating Out

Reading, PA

$346 13.2%

Edmonton

$299 13.7% 13.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reading, PA

$313 12%

Edmonton

$332 15.2% 6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Reading, PA

$172 6.6%

Edmonton

$123 5.6% 28.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Reading, PA

$77 3%

Edmonton

$71 3.3% 7.8% $6

Getting Around

Reading, PA

$14 * 0.5%

Edmonton

$92 4.2% 549% $78

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,493 in Reading, PA versus $1,094 in Edmonton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in Edmonton, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Reading, PA versus $76.0 in Edmonton. Groceries tell a different story – $402 in Reading, PA vs $362 in Edmonton – so Edmonton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Reading, PA

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

2 h behind Reading, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,082

1,010,899

💱 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Reading, PA Edmonton 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Reading, PA
Edmonton

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

Reading, PA vs Edmonton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,611 in Reading, PA, $2,181 in Edmonton – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,917 per month in Reading, PA and $3,271 in Edmonton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edmonton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Reading, PA and $76.0 in Edmonton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Reading, PA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Edmonton, where all-in costs run around $2,181, than in Reading, PA at $2,611. In Edmonton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reading, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Edmonton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Edmonton. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Reading, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.