Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saskatoon and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Saskatoon: $2,186 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Saskatoon
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Saskatoon Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Saskatoon

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,186

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Saskatoon versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Saskatoon $2,186
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,142 in Saskatoon versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Saskatoon $3,142
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,098 in Saskatoon versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Saskatoon $4,098
Calgary $4,428

Living in Saskatoon costs roughly 5% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saskatoon 61% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.78 CA$24.84

$17.55 CA$24.52

1.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.25 CA$12.93

$10.69 CA$14.94

-13.47%

Cappuccino

$3.64 CA$5.09

$3.89 CA$5.43

-6.43%

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

$2.03 CA$2.83

$2.04 CA$2.85

-0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.58

$1.88 CA$2.62

-1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 CA$5.92

$4.90 CA$6.84

-13.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 CA$8.78

$5.78 CA$8.08

8.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.07 CA$4.29

$1.96 CA$2.74

56.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 CA$3.18

$2.74 CA$3.83

-17.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 CA$6.66

$5.46 CA$7.63

-12.82%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.09

$3.69 CA$5.15

-1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.83 CA$13.73

$11.24 CA$15.71

-12.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 CA$16.47

$11.54 CA$16.12

2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.52 CA$23.08

$18.38 CA$25.68

-10.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.19 CA$5.86

$4.90 CA$6.85

-14.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.42 CA$1.99

15.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 CA$6.15

$4.21 CA$5.88

4.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.47

$4.02 CA$5.62

-20.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 CA$3.99

$2.69 CA$3.77

6.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$2.66 CA$3.72

-18.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 CA$3.84

$2.61 CA$3.65

5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.60 CA$2.23

-9.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.06 CA$21.04

$14.00 CA$19.57

7.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 CA$19.60

$15.40 CA$21.52

-8.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CA$4.02

$2.50 CA$3.49

15.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 CA$4.72

$3.09 CA$4.32

9.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.34

$2.93 CA$4.09

-18.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 CA$84.3

$89.3 CA$125

-32.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 CA$6.20

$3.27 CA$4.57

35.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 CA$1.81

$1.35 CA$1.89

-3.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.53 CA$20.30

$27.39 CA$38.27

-46.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.68

$1.17 CA$1.64

2.56%

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

$28.7K CA$40.1K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

2.80%

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

$21.6K CA$30.1K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

2.51%

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

$223 CA$312

$167 CA$233

33.80%

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

$47.02 CA$65.7

$38.27 CA$53.5

22.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 CA$82.1

$50.9 CA$71.2

15.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.26 CA$56.3

$51.0 CA$71.2

-20.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.34

$18.17 CA$25.39

-0.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.02 CA$15.40

$14.44 CA$20.18

-23.68%

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

$488 CA$682

$545 CA$762

-10.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K CA$20.2K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-10.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 CA$81.2

$58.9 CA$82.3

-1.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.90 CA$61.3

$39.75 CA$55.6

10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 CA$121

$93.4 CA$130

-7.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$148

$110 CA$154

-3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 CA$1,457

$1,254 CA$1,752

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 CA$1,312

$1,056 CA$1,476

-11.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 CA$2,393

$2,022 CA$2,826

-15.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 CA$1,903

$1,629 CA$2,276

-16.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,855 CA$3,989

$3,600 CA$5,031

-20.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,474 CA$3,457

$3,243 CA$4,531

-23.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,730 CA$3,815

$3,115 CA$4,353

-12.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

4.51

6.43%

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

Last update for Saskatoon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saskatoon

$939 42.9%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 12.5% $117

Groceries & Markets

Saskatoon

$380 17.4%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 3.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saskatoon

$329 15%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 22.2% $73

Eating Out

Saskatoon

$263 12%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 3% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Saskatoon

$133 6.1%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 2.6% $3.4

Getting Around

Saskatoon

$81 3.7%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 37.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Saskatoon

$62 2.9%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 28.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,043 in Saskatoon and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 14% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Saskatoon vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $393 per month, with Saskatoon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saskatoon

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

Same time as Saskatoon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,376

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

On the map

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Between locations

Saskatoon Calgary 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saskatoon
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

Saskatoon vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saskatoon is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Saskatoon. 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: $1,043 in Saskatoon versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $488 in Saskatoon versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Saskatoon runs roughly 32% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Saskatoon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Saskatoon 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.

It comes down to priorities – Saskatoon wins on affordability, Calgary on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.