Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Red Deer and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Red Deer and in Calgary: $2,225 and $2,255 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Red Deer
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Red Deer Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Red Deer

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,225

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,225 in Red Deer versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Red Deer $2,225
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,182 in Red Deer versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Red Deer $3,182
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,138 in Red Deer versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Red Deer $4,138
Calgary $4,468

Living in Red Deer costs roughly 1% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Red Deer 64% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.05 CA$26.93

$17.58 CA$24.85

8.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 CA$83.7

$69.1 CA$97.6

-14.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 CA$15.92

$10.59 CA$14.97

6.33%

Cappuccino

$5.39 CA$7.62

$3.84 CA$5.42

40.36%

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

$2.05 CA$2.89

$1.93 CA$2.72

6.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$2.99

$1.88 CA$2.66

12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 CA$7.71

$5.09 CA$7.20

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 CA$9.57

$5.64 CA$7.97

20.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 CA$2.49

$2.00 CA$2.82

-12.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 CA$4.84

$5.59 CA$7.90

-38.82%

Eggs

$3.38 CA$4.77

$3.70 CA$5.23

-8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 CA$14.21

$11.48 CA$16.23

-12.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.72 CA$23.63

$11.20 CA$15.84

49.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.42 CA$24.63

$18.59 CA$26.28

-6.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.90 CA$9.75

$4.70 CA$6.64

46.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.38

$1.45 CA$2.05

16.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$4.34 CA$6.13

-44.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 CA$7.88

$3.79 CA$5.36

46.97%

Potato (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.72

$2.69 CA$3.81

102.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$2.75 CA$3.88

-20.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.56 CA$3.62

22.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 CA$3.89

$1.50 CA$2.12

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.58 CA$22.03

$14.39 CA$20.34

8.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 CA$19.70

$15.81 CA$22.35

-11.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$3.10 CA$4.39

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$2.81 CA$3.97

-22.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.3 CA$72.5

$90.6 CA$128

-43.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$3.28 CA$4.64

-17.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.40 CA$1.97

-1.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.06 CA$32.60

$26.49 CA$37.45

-12.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 CA$1.51

$1.22 CA$1.72

-12.30%

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

$24.8K CA$35.1K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-12.47%

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

$20.6K CA$29.1K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

-1.08%

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

$177 CA$250

$165 CA$233

7.21%

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

$64.5 CA$91.1

$38.24 CA$54.1

68.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 CA$90.5

$50.1 CA$70.9

27.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.34 CA$51.4

$53.8 CA$76.1

-32.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.50 CA$14.84

$18.04 CA$25.51

-41.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 CA$14.81

$14.04 CA$19.84

-25.36%

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

$797 CA$1,126

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 CA$71.3

$59.1 CA$83.5

-14.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$48.21

$40.20 CA$56.8

-15.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 CA$108

$90.8 CA$128

-15.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$149

$109 CA$155

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 CA$1,467

$1,207 CA$1,707

-14.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 CA$1,325

$1,011 CA$1,429

-7.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 CA$2,189

$1,949 CA$2,756

-20.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 CA$1,869

$1,677 CA$2,371

-21.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,712 CA$3,834

$3,532 CA$4,993

-23.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,686 CA$3,798

$3,392 CA$4,795

-20.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,043 CA$4,302

$3,152 CA$4,456

-3.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.8

4.51

28.60%

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

Last update for Red Deer: October 18, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Red Deer

$937 42.1%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 7.9% $74

Groceries & Markets

Red Deer

$427 * 19.2%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 8.4% $36

Eating Out

Red Deer

$308 13.9%

Calgary

$270 12% 12.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Red Deer

$305 13.7%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 17% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Red Deer

$120 5.4%

Calgary

$135 6% 12.2% $15

Getting Around

Red Deer

$70 3.1%

Calgary

$112 5% 61.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Red Deer

$57 2.6%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 42.9% $25

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 $1,037 in Red Deer and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 4% 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: $59.0 in Red Deer vs $69.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $427 vs $392, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Red Deer

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

Same time as Red Deer

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,418

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

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Red Deer Calgary 140 km

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Red Deer
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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

Red Deer vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Red Deer is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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: $1,037 in Red Deer 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 Red Deer – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Red Deer runs roughly 77% less than in Calgary. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,225 in Red Deer versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Red Deer but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Red Deer 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 Red Deer gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.