Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John's and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John's: $1,816 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Saint John's
Learn more

Saint John's Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,816

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,816 in Saint John's versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Saint John's $1,816
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,873 in Saint John's versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Saint John's $2,873
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in Saint John's versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Saint John's $3,929
Calgary $4,493

Living in Saint John's costs roughly 19% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint John's 36% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 EC$60.8

$17.22 CA$24.54

30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 EC$203

$71.2 CA$101

5.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 EC$29.62

$10.56 CA$15.06

3.88%

Cappuccino

$3.80 EC$10.27

$3.77 CA$5.38

0.80%

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

$2.03 EC$5.47

$1.91 CA$2.73

6.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 EC$2.34

$1.84 CA$2.63

-52.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 EC$5.05

$4.86 CA$6.93

-61.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 EC$12.09

$5.55 CA$7.91

-19.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 EC$5.88

$1.88 CA$2.68

15.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 EC$7.59

$2.73 CA$3.89

2.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 EC$5.14

$5.34 CA$7.61

-64.42%

Eggs

$6.63 EC$17.91

$3.77 CA$5.37

75.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 EC$22.46

$11.29 CA$16.09

-26.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 EC$22.44

$11.46 CA$16.34

-27.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

Apples (1kg)

$6.48 EC$17.49

$4.64 CA$6.62

39.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 EC$6.54

$1.44 CA$2.05

68.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.12 EC$21.93

$4.22 CA$6.02

92.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.10 EC$21.87

$3.86 CA$5.50

109.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 EC$7.88

$2.62 CA$3.74

11.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 EC$7.84

$2.66 CA$3.79

9.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 EC$7.12

$2.59 CA$3.69

1.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 EC$4.34

$1.53 CA$2.19

5.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 EC$14.93

$15.27 CA$21.76

-63.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 EC$7.36

$2.41 CA$3.44

13.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 EC$12.29

$3.09 CA$4.41

47.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 EC$4.40

$1.18 CA$1.68

38.14%

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

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

$256 EC$692

$159 CA$227

61.00%

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

$40.32 EC$109

$37.61 CA$53.6

7.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.4 EC$220

$49.68 CA$70.8

63.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 EC$176

$53.3 CA$75.9

22.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 EC$17.36

$14.08 CA$20.06

-54.33%

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

$809 CA$1,154

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,855 EC$5,009

$15.9K CA$22.6K

-88.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.21 EC$133

$58.8 CA$83.8

-16.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 EC$204

$91.4 CA$130

-17.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 EC$2,796

$1,237 CA$1,764

-16.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 EC$1,835

$996 CA$1,420

-31.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 EC$4,573

$1,908 CA$2,720

-11.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 EC$4,043

$1,671 CA$2,382

-10.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,344 EC$3,630

$3,130 CA$4,461

-57.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

4.51

21.95%

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

Last update for Saint John's: 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

Saint John's

$680 37.2%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 46.5% $316

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John's

$378 20.7%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 34.8% $132

Groceries & Markets

Saint John's

$349 * 19.1%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 11.1% $39

Eating Out

Saint John's

$288 15.8%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 8.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John's

$78 4.3%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 4.1% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John's

$56 * 3.1%

Calgary

$134 6% 139% $78

Getting Around

Saint John's

- * 0%

Calgary

$110 5%

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 $1,036 in Saint John's and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 133% 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: $75.0 in Saint John's vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $387, with Saint John's cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

2 h behind Saint John's

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,926 Capital

1,267,344

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 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).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint John's Calgary 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John's
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

Saint John's vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John's is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 133% 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: $1,036 in Saint John's versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Calgary. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint John's – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,816 in Saint John's versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Saint John's but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Saint John's the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Saint John's is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Calgary, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Saint John's and Calgary are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Saint John's gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.