Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richmond, Canada and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,459 in Richmond, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Richmond outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Richmond, Canada
Calgary, Canada
Richmond
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,459
/mo nomad
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,459 in Richmond versus $2,303 in Calgary.

  • Richmond $2,459
  • Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,502 in Richmond versus $3,366 in Calgary.

  • Richmond $3,502
  • Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,545 in Richmond versus $4,428 in Calgary.

  • Richmond $4,545
  • Calgary $4,428

Living in Richmond is roughly 7% more expensive than in Calgary.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Richmond 81% above, Calgary 69% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.21 CA$22.64
$17.55 CA$24.52
-7.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.6 CA$100
$70.4 CA$98.3
1.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.08 CA$12.69
$10.69 CA$14.93
-15.06%
Cappuccino
$4.22 CA$5.89
$3.89 CA$5.43
8.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.85
$2.04 CA$2.85
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 CA$2.15
$1.88 CA$2.62
-18.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.42 CA$7.57
$4.90 CA$6.84
10.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 CA$7.77
$5.78 CA$8.08
-3.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.20 CA$3.07
$1.96 CA$2.74
12.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.16 CA$3.01
$2.74 CA$3.83
-21.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.36 CA$3.29
$5.46 CA$7.63
-56.78%
Eggs
$3.15 CA$4.40
$3.69 CA$5.15
-14.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.84 CA$12.35
$11.24 CA$15.71
-21.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.81 CA$15.10
$11.54 CA$16.12
-6.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.74 CA$13.61
$18.38 CA$25.67
-47.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 CA$3.70
$4.90 CA$6.85
-45.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.29 CA$1.81
$1.42 CA$1.99
-9.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.63 CA$3.68
$4.21 CA$5.88
-37.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.63 CA$5.07
$4.02 CA$5.62
-9.70%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 CA$2.93
$2.69 CA$3.77
-21.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 CA$2.51
$2.66 CA$3.72
-32.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.03 CA$2.84
$2.61 CA$3.65
-22.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 CA$1.70
$1.60 CA$2.23
-23.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.39 CA$20.10
$14.00 CA$19.56
2.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.73 CA$17.79
$15.40 CA$21.51
-17.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.18 CA$3.05
$2.50 CA$3.49
-12.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 CA$3.05
$3.09 CA$4.32
-29.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 CA$3.03
$2.93 CA$4.09
-25.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$79.5 CA$111
$89.3 CA$125
-10.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.98 CA$4.16
$3.27 CA$4.57
-8.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.39 CA$1.95
$1.35 CA$1.89
2.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$27.39 CA$38.26
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 CA$1.87
$1.17 CA$1.64
14.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K CA$37.3K
$27.9K CA$39.0K
-4.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.8K CA$29.1K
$21.0K CA$29.4K
-1.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$132 CA$184
$167 CA$233
-20.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.35 CA$45.19
$38.27 CA$53.5
-15.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.70 CA$65.3
$50.9 CA$71.2
-8.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.75 CA$33.18
$51.0 CA$71.2
-53.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.41 CA$3.37
$18.17 CA$25.39
-86.74%
Cinema Ticket
$12.46 CA$17.40
$14.44 CA$20.18
-13.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$800 CA$1,117
$545 CA$762
46.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K CA$14.9K
$16.2K CA$22.6K
-34.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.2 CA$74.3
$58.9 CA$82.3
-9.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.29 CA$45.11
$39.75 CA$55.5
-18.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 CA$133
$93.4 CA$130
2.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 CA$165
$110 CA$154
7.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,831 CA$2,558
$1,254 CA$1,752
46.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,409 CA$1,968
$1,056 CA$1,476
33.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,523 CA$3,524
$2,022 CA$2,825
24.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,140 CA$2,989
$1,629 CA$2,275
31.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,487 CA$11.9K
$3,600 CA$5,030
135.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,437 CA$8,993
$3,243 CA$4,530
98.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Richmond
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,072 CA$4,292
$3,115 CA$4,352
-1.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.77
4.51
5.76%

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

Last update for Richmond: 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
Richmond
$1.4K
Calgary
$1.1K 25% $352
Groceries & Markets
Richmond
$298
Calgary
$393 31.6% $94
Eating Out
Richmond
$260
Calgary
$271 4.2% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Richmond
$211
Calgary
$256 21.4% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Richmond
$135
Calgary
$136 0.9% $1.3
Getting Around
Richmond
$98
Calgary
$111 13.2% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Richmond
$49
Calgary
$80 64.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,831 in Richmond and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $72 in Richmond vs $70 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $393, with Richmond cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Richmond
🇨🇦 Calgary
🕒 Local time
21:02 9:02 PM
22:02 10:02 PM
1 h ahead of Richmond
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
198,309
1,267,344
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Richmond Calgary 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Richmond
  • 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
Richmond vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,689 in Richmond and $3,454 in Calgary to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Richmond and Calgary?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,831 in Richmond versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Richmond or in Calgary?
Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $70 versus $72 in Richmond. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Richmond and in Calgary?
All in, you’ll spend $2,459 per month in Richmond versus $2,303 in Calgary – Calgary is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is Richmond or Calgary more family-friendly?
For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Richmond, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Richmond vs other spots: cost of living compared

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