Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Lethbridge, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick: $1,954 a month against $2,162 in Lethbridge, AB, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Lethbridge, AB
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Lethbridge, AB Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,954

/mo nomad

Lethbridge, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint John, New Brunswick and in Lethbridge, AB

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 Lethbridge, AB actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,954 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $2,162 in Lethbridge, AB, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,954
Lethbridge, AB $2,162

A couple spends around $2,938 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $3,173 in Lethbridge, AB, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,938
Lethbridge, AB $3,173

A family of three spends $3,922 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $4,185 in Lethbridge, AB, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,922
Lethbridge, AB $4,185

Saint John, New Brunswick is about 10% cheaper than Lethbridge, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint John, New Brunswick and Lethbridge, AB sit above the global median – Saint John, New Brunswick by 44%, Lethbridge, AB by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.44 CA$26.08

$20.90 CA$29.55

-11.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 CA$86.2

$66.4 CA$93.9

-8.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 CA$15.31

$11.93 CA$16.86

-9.22%

Cappuccino

$2.96 CA$4.18

$4.07 CA$5.75

-27.27%

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

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.82 CA$2.58

-2.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 CA$1.52

$2.08 CA$2.94

-48.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$4.97 CA$7.03

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.06

$5.81 CA$8.22

-13.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.16

$2.27 CA$3.22

-1.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.51 CA$3.54

11.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 CA$4.23

$4.40 CA$6.22

-32.05%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.36 CA$4.74

5.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 CA$19.05

$9.92 CA$14.03

35.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.04 CA$17.02

$12.43 CA$17.57

-3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 CA$18.14

$13.18 CA$18.63

-2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$3.30 CA$4.67

51.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.29 CA$1.82

14.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.88

$2.77 CA$3.92

50.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.70

$4.69 CA$6.63

-14.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$3.49 CA$4.94

-41.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$3.14 CA$4.45

-29.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.50

$3.14 CA$4.44

-21.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.78 CA$2.52

-22.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$20.12

$11.58 CA$16.37

22.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.67 CA$13.67

$14.41 CA$20.38

-32.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$3.15 CA$4.45

-43.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CA$2.93

$3.83 CA$5.42

-45.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$2.16 CA$3.05

-3.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 CA$79.8

$71.2 CA$101

-20.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$3.52 CA$4.98

-20.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 CA$1.48

$2.88 CA$4.08

-63.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.60 CA$24.89

$42.91 CA$60.7

-58.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.08 CA$1.53

18.52%

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

$26.4K CA$37.3K

$24.7K CA$35.0K

6.58%

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

$21.4K CA$30.3K

$21.1K CA$29.8K

1.65%

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

$122 CA$173

$281 CA$397

-56.51%

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

$42.20 CA$59.7

$51.5 CA$72.8

-18.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 CA$91.2

$69.6 CA$98.4

-7.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.4

$44.63 CA$63.1

19.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.52 CA$50.2

$14.13 CA$19.97

151.38%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.83

$13.97 CA$19.75

-9.74%

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

$372 CA$526

$859 CA$1,214

-56.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K CA$16.0K

$3,516 CA$4,970

222.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 CA$71.4

$47.99 CA$67.9

5.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.95 CA$50.8

$51.7 CA$73.1

-30.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$143

$75.3 CA$106

34.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$118 CA$167

-9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 CA$1,366

$999 CA$1,413

-3.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 CA$1,168

$782 CA$1,105

5.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 CA$2,275

$1,434 CA$2,028

12.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 CA$1,913

$1,288 CA$1,821

5.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 CA$2,876

$5,502 CA$7,778

-63.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,131 CA$3,013

$2,070 CA$2,926

2.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,596 CA$3,670

$3,006 CA$4,249

-13.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

4.85

-3.30%

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 Lethbridge, AB: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John, New Brunswick

$826 42.3%

Lethbridge, AB

$782 36.2% 5.4% $44

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$356 18.2%

Lethbridge, AB

$372 17.2% 4.6% $16

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$259 13.3%

Lethbridge, AB

$304 14.1% 17.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.7%

Lethbridge, AB

$402 18.6% 75.7% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.8%

Lethbridge, AB

$132 6.1% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$79 4%

Lethbridge, AB

$73 3.4% 7.6% $6

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.7%

Lethbridge, AB

$98 4.5% 34.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $999 in Lethbridge, AB. 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 16% higher in Lethbridge, AB, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $66.0 in Lethbridge, AB. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $372 – making Saint John, New Brunswick the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Lethbridge, AB

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

3 h behind Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

83,517

💱 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 Lethbridge, AB 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint John, New Brunswick
Lethbridge, AB

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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 Lethbridge, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick, $2,162 in Lethbridge, AB – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,930 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick and $3,242 in Lethbridge, AB. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 5% more in Lethbridge, AB, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $66.0 in Lethbridge, AB. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint John, New Brunswick, where all-in costs run around $1,954, than in Lethbridge, AB at $2,162. In Saint John, New Brunswick it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lethbridge, AB it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Saint John, New Brunswick. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lethbridge, AB makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.