Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarnia and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarnia: $2,014 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Sarnia
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Sarnia Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Sarnia

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,014

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,014 in Sarnia versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Sarnia $2,014
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Sarnia versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Sarnia $2,778
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,543 in Sarnia versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Sarnia $3,543
Calgary $4,428

Living in Sarnia costs roughly 13% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sarnia 48% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.71 CA$19.16

$17.55 CA$24.52

-21.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.44 CA$64.9

$70.4 CA$98.4

-34.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 CA$15.17

$10.69 CA$14.94

1.59%

Cappuccino

$3.12 CA$4.36

$3.89 CA$5.43

-19.79%

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

$1.93 CA$2.70

$2.04 CA$2.85

-5.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.88 CA$2.62

-35.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.20 CA$5.87

$4.90 CA$6.84

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 CA$7.75

$5.78 CA$8.08

-4.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 CA$1.77

$1.96 CA$2.74

-35.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 CA$3.43

$2.74 CA$3.83

-10.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 CA$3.31

$5.46 CA$7.63

-56.59%

Eggs

$2.96 CA$4.13

$3.69 CA$5.15

-19.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 CA$16.09

$11.24 CA$15.71

2.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.04

$11.54 CA$16.12

-0.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 CA$19.82

$18.38 CA$25.68

-22.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.74

$4.90 CA$6.85

-30.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 CA$1.74

$1.42 CA$1.99

-11.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.72

$4.21 CA$5.88

-19.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.92

$4.02 CA$5.62

-12.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 CA$1.87

$2.69 CA$3.77

-50.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.59

$2.66 CA$3.72

-30.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 CA$2.35

$2.61 CA$3.65

-35.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.60 CA$2.23

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.56 CA$17.55

$14.00 CA$19.57

-10.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 CA$13.98

$15.40 CA$21.52

-35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.54

$2.50 CA$3.49

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$3.95

$3.09 CA$4.32

-8.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.31

$2.93 CA$4.09

-19.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 CA$86.8

$89.3 CA$125

-30.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$3.27 CA$4.57

-21.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 CA$2.46

$1.35 CA$1.89

30.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.33 CA$39.58

$27.39 CA$38.27

3.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.72

$1.17 CA$1.64

5.13%

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

$26.2K CA$36.6K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

-6.33%

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

$21.0K CA$29.3K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

-0.39%

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

$145 CA$203

$167 CA$233

-12.82%

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

$28.26 CA$39.49

$38.27 CA$53.5

-26.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.79 CA$61.2

$50.9 CA$71.2

-14.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.85 CA$29.13

$51.0 CA$71.2

-59.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.89 CA$25.00

$18.17 CA$25.39

-1.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.91 CA$15.24

$14.44 CA$20.18

-24.45%

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

$354 CA$494

$545 CA$762

-35.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 CA$83.5

$58.9 CA$82.3

1.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.28 CA$46.51

$39.75 CA$55.6

-16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 CA$107

$93.4 CA$130

-17.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 CA$108

$110 CA$154

-29.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 CA$1,728

$1,254 CA$1,752

-1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 CA$1,423

$1,056 CA$1,476

-3.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,001 CA$2,797

$2,022 CA$2,826

-1.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 CA$1,908

$1,629 CA$2,276

-16.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,031

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,531

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,074 CA$4,295

$3,115 CA$4,353

-1.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

4.51

15.74%

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

Last update for Sarnia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarnia

$1K 50.6%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 3.8% $38

Groceries & Markets

Sarnia

$317 15.7%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 24% $76

Eating Out

Sarnia

$224 11.2%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 20.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarnia

$217 10.8%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 17.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sarnia

$111 5.5%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 22.2% $25

Getting Around

Sarnia

$83 4.1%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 33.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sarnia

$43 2.1%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 87.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,236 in Sarnia and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Sarnia vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $393 per month, with Sarnia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sarnia

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

1 h behind Sarnia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,594

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sarnia Calgary 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sarnia
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

Sarnia vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarnia is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,020 in Sarnia and $3,454 in Calgary to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,236 in Sarnia versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sarnia – a meal for two runs $46 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,014 per month in Sarnia versus $2,303 in Calgary – Sarnia is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Sarnia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.