Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,891 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Calgary outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,891

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,891 in Santa Cruz versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Santa Cruz $1,891
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,891 in Santa Cruz versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Santa Cruz $2,891
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,890 in Santa Cruz versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Santa Cruz $3,890
Calgary $4,379

Living in Santa Cruz costs roughly 15% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Cruz 40% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 AWG 3.74

$1.88 CA$2.65

11.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 AWG 4.85

$2.67 CA$3.78

1.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 AWG 8.08

$5.32 CA$7.52

-15.04%

Eggs

$4.64 AWG 8.31

$3.79 CA$5.35

22.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 AWG 14.17

$11.09 CA$15.68

-28.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.65 AWG 13.69

$11.36 CA$16.05

-32.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 AWG 11.60

$18.40 CA$26.01

-64.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 AWG 8.13

$4.56 CA$6.45

-0.44%

Banana (1kg)

$4.36 AWG 7.81

$1.44 CA$2.04

202.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.08 AWG 14.45

$4.08 CA$5.76

98.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.60 AWG 11.80

$3.89 CA$5.50

69.67%

Potato (1kg)

$6.88 AWG 12.31

$2.64 CA$3.73

160.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 AWG 3.42

$2.64 CA$3.73

-27.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 AWG 5.43

$2.50 CA$3.54

21.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.37 AWG 7.82

$1.50 CA$2.12

191.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.45 AWG 18.70

$14.05 CA$19.86

-25.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 AWG 34.12

$15.70 CA$22.20

21.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AWG 4.57

$2.44 CA$3.45

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 AWG 5.55

$3.09 CA$4.37

0.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 AWG 3.43

$2.82 CA$3.99

-31.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$157 AWG 281

$88.6 CA$125

77.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.50 AWG 34.89

$3.12 CA$4.41

525.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.79 AWG 35.41

$27.02 CA$38.20

-26.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

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

$140 AWG 251

$161 CA$227

-12.79%

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

$71.4 AWG 128

$38.13 CA$53.9

87.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$207 AWG 371

$50.0 CA$70.7

314.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 AWG 126

$51.5 CA$72.8

36.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.90 AWG 83.9

$18.14 CA$25.64

158.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 AWG 15.10

$13.82 CA$19.54

-38.93%

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

$139 AWG 248

$786 CA$1,111

-82.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 AWG 138

$58.3 CA$82.4

32.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$111 AWG 198

$39.27 CA$55.5

181.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 AWG 250

$89.8 CA$127

55.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 AWG 248

$110 CA$155

26.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 AWG 2,274

$1,229 CA$1,737

3.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 AWG 1,010

$1,001 CA$1,415

-43.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 AWG 2,742

$1,921 CA$2,716

-20.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 AWG 2,485

$1,621 CA$2,292

-14.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,638 AWG 6,511

$3,165 CA$4,474

14.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

–

Calgary

$1K 45%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

–

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

–

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

–

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

–

Calgary

$134 6%

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

–

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

–

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,271 in Santa Cruz and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

22:59 10:59 PM

2 h behind Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz Calgary 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz is cheaper overall, especially in eating out. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Santa Cruz, 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: $1,271 in Santa Cruz versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $139 in Santa Cruz versus $786 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz runs roughly 77% less than in Calgary. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,891 in Santa Cruz versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz 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.

Safety-wise, Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.