Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rochester, NY and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Rochester, NY and in Calgary: $2,314 and $2,232 a month, rent and utilities included.

114

Cost of Living Index in Rochester, NY
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Rochester, NY Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Rochester, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,314

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,314 in Rochester, NY versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Rochester, NY $2,314
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,586 in Rochester, NY versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Rochester, NY $3,586
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,858 in Rochester, NY versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Rochester, NY $4,858
Calgary $4,493

Living in Rochester, NY is roughly 4% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rochester, NY 73% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 $22.76

$17.22 CA$24.54

32.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$71.2 CA$101

4.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$10.56 CA$15.06

-4.55%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$3.77 CA$5.38

43.50%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$1.91 CA$2.73

50.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.84 CA$2.63

34.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 $4.52

$4.86 CA$6.93

-7.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 $5.83

$5.55 CA$7.91

5.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.88 CA$2.68

-60.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.73 CA$3.89

25.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$5.34 CA$7.61

2.81%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$3.77 CA$5.37

1.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 $10.73

$11.29 CA$16.09

-4.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$11.46 CA$16.34

-30.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$18.26 CA$26.03

-17.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.64 CA$6.62

-15.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.44 CA$2.05

-15.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$4.22 CA$6.02

29.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.86 CA$5.50

26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.62 CA$3.74

41.60%

Onion (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.66 CA$3.79

56.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.59 CA$3.69

-17.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.53 CA$2.19

38.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.79 $14.79

$14.26 CA$20.32

3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$15.27 CA$21.76

-34.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.41 CA$3.44

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.09 CA$4.41

17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.88 CA$4.11

-29.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.46 $45.46

$88.7 CA$126

-48.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.23 CA$4.61

-24.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.38 CA$1.97

31.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.82 $20.82

$26.49 CA$37.75

-21.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.18 CA$1.68

-10.17%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$28.3K CA$40.3K

24.23%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

31.14%

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

$146 $146

$159 CA$227

-8.41%

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

$51.8 $51.8

$37.61 CA$53.6

37.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 $72.4

$49.68 CA$70.8

45.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.06 $44.06

$53.3 CA$75.9

-17.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.39 $45.39

$18.31 CA$26.10

147.90%

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 $13.73

$14.08 CA$20.06

-2.49%

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

$1,379 $1,379

$809 CA$1,154

70.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.4K $29.4K

$15.9K CA$22.6K

85.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.94 $40.94

$58.8 CA$83.8

-30.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.37 $33.37

$38.84 CA$55.4

-14.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 $82.9

$91.4 CA$130

-9.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 $87.0

$109 CA$155

-20.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 $1,367

$1,237 CA$1,764

10.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 $1,157

$996 CA$1,420

16.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,294 $2,294

$1,908 CA$2,720

20.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 $2,041

$1,671 CA$2,382

22.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,437 $1,437

$3,530 CA$5,032

-59.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 $1,445

$3,336 CA$4,755

-56.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,953 $3,953

$3,130 CA$4,461

26.30%

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 Rochester, NY: October 5, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rochester, NY

$1.2K 48.9%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 13.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Rochester, NY

$362 15.3%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 7% $25

Eating Out

Rochester, NY

$333 14.1%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 20.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rochester, NY

$270 11.4%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 8.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Rochester, NY

$110 4.6%

Calgary

$134 6% 22% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rochester, NY

$72 3%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 13.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Rochester, NY

$65 2.7%

Calgary

$110 5% 69.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,367 in Rochester, NY and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester, NY pays 26% 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: $74.0 in Rochester, NY vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $387, with Rochester, NY cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rochester, NY

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

2 h behind Rochester, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,328

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Rochester, NY Calgary 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Rochester, 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: $1,367 in Rochester, NY versus $1,237 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 $74.0 in Rochester, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,314 per month in Rochester, NY versus $2,232 in Calgary – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,314 in Rochester, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Rochester, 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 Rochester, 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 4% less than in Rochester, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.