Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick: $1,954 a month against $2,255 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,954

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,954
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,938 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,938
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,922 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,922
Calgary $4,468

Living in Saint John, New Brunswick costs roughly 13% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint John, New Brunswick 44% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.44 CA$26.08

$17.58 CA$24.85

4.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 CA$86.2

$69.1 CA$97.6

-11.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 CA$15.31

$10.59 CA$14.97

2.27%

Cappuccino

$2.96 CA$4.18

$3.84 CA$5.42

-22.92%

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

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.93 CA$2.72

-8.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 CA$1.52

$1.88 CA$2.66

-43.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$5.09 CA$7.20

-11.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.06

$5.64 CA$7.97

-11.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.16

$2.00 CA$2.82

11.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.78 CA$3.93

1.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 CA$4.23

$5.59 CA$7.90

-46.51%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.70 CA$5.23

-3.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 CA$19.05

$11.48 CA$16.23

17.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.04 CA$17.02

$11.20 CA$15.84

7.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 CA$18.14

$18.59 CA$26.28

-30.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$4.70 CA$6.64

6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.45 CA$2.05

2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.88

$4.34 CA$6.13

-4.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.70

$3.79 CA$5.36

6.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$2.69 CA$3.81

-24.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$2.75 CA$3.88

-19.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.50

$2.56 CA$3.62

-3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.50 CA$2.12

-8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$20.12

$14.39 CA$20.34

-1.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.67 CA$13.67

$15.81 CA$22.35

-38.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$2.47 CA$3.49

-27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CA$2.93

$3.10 CA$4.39

-32.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$2.81 CA$3.97

-25.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 CA$79.8

$90.6 CA$128

-37.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$3.28 CA$4.64

-14.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 CA$1.48

$1.40 CA$1.97

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.60 CA$24.89

$26.49 CA$37.45

-33.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.22 CA$1.72

4.92%

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

$26.4K CA$37.3K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-7.07%

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

$21.4K CA$30.3K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

2.86%

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

$122 CA$173

$165 CA$233

-25.85%

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

$42.20 CA$59.7

$38.24 CA$54.1

10.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 CA$91.2

$50.1 CA$70.9

28.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.4

$53.8 CA$76.1

-0.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.52 CA$50.2

$18.04 CA$25.51

96.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.83

$14.04 CA$19.84

-10.19%

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

$372 CA$526

$797 CA$1,126

-53.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K CA$16.0K

$15.8K CA$22.3K

-28.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 CA$71.4

$59.1 CA$83.5

-14.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.95 CA$50.8

$40.20 CA$56.8

-10.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$143

$90.8 CA$128

11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$109 CA$155

-2.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 CA$1,366

$1,207 CA$1,707

-19.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 CA$1,168

$1,011 CA$1,429

-18.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 CA$2,275

$1,949 CA$2,756

-17.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 CA$1,913

$1,677 CA$2,371

-19.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 CA$2,876

$3,532 CA$4,993

-42.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,131 CA$3,013

$3,392 CA$4,795

-37.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,596 CA$3,670

$3,152 CA$4,456

-17.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

4.51

3.99%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 17, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John, New Brunswick

$826 42.3%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 22.4% $185

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$356 18.2%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 10.1% $36

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$259 13.3%

Calgary

$270 12% 4.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.7%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 10.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.8%

Calgary

$135 6% 1.9% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$79 4%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 4.2% $3.3

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.7%

Calgary

$112 5% 53.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 21% 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: $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $69.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $392 per month, with Saint John, New Brunswick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

3 h behind Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

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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Saint John, New Brunswick Calgary 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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

Saint John, New Brunswick vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John, New Brunswick is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 21% 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: $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 Saint John, New Brunswick – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,954 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,255 in Calgary – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saint John, New Brunswick but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Saint John, New Brunswick 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 Saint John, New Brunswick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.