Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough, Canada and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,561 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scarborough outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Scarborough versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Scarborough $2,561
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,474 in Scarborough versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Scarborough $3,474
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,388 in Scarborough versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Scarborough $4,388
Calgary $4,428

Living in Scarborough is roughly 11% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scarborough 88% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 CA$24.30

$17.55 CA$24.63

-1.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$98.7

$70.4 CA$98.8

-0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 CA$15.28

$10.69 CA$15.00

1.87%

Cappuccino

$3.99 CA$5.59

$3.89 CA$5.46

2.57%

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

$2.03 CA$2.85

$2.04 CA$2.86

-0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.06

$1.88 CA$2.64

-21.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.19

$4.90 CA$6.87

33.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CA$10.23

$5.78 CA$8.11

26.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.53

$1.96 CA$2.75

28.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$2.74 CA$3.84

-4.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.20

$5.46 CA$7.67

-58.24%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.11

$3.69 CA$5.17

-1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 CA$12.83

$11.24 CA$15.78

-18.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.06

$11.54 CA$16.19

-0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 CA$18.19

$18.38 CA$25.79

-29.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.81

$4.90 CA$6.88

-30.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$1.42 CA$2.00

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.69

$4.21 CA$5.91

-20.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.85

$4.02 CA$5.65

3.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.38

$2.69 CA$3.78

-37.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 CA$2.36

$2.66 CA$3.74

-36.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.09

$2.61 CA$3.67

-15.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.76

$1.60 CA$2.24

-21.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 CA$17.66

$15.40 CA$21.61

-18.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.07

$2.50 CA$3.50

-12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.58

$3.09 CA$4.34

-17.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 CA$3.36

$2.93 CA$4.11

-18.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CA$147

$89.3 CA$125

17.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.30

$3.27 CA$4.59

-6.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.35 CA$1.89

-5.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.60

$27.39 CA$38.43

-17.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$1.17 CA$1.65

6.84%

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

$26.1K CA$36.7K

$27.9K CA$39.2K

-6.43%

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

$21.7K CA$30.5K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

3.27%

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

$137 CA$193

$167 CA$234

-17.61%

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

$35.21 CA$49.42

$38.27 CA$53.7

-8.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.56 CA$68.1

$50.9 CA$71.5

-4.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 CA$50.3

$51.0 CA$71.5

-29.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.96 CA$50.5

$18.17 CA$25.50

97.91%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 CA$18.18

$14.44 CA$20.27

-10.32%

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

$749 CA$1,052

$545 CA$766

37.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CA$15.2K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-33.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.0

$58.9 CA$82.6

-9.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.94 CA$57.5

$39.75 CA$55.8

2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 CA$119

$93.4 CA$131

-8.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$147

$110 CA$154

-4.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 CA$2,448

$1,254 CA$1,760

39.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 CA$1,986

$1,056 CA$1,483

33.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 CA$2,979

$2,022 CA$2,838

4.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 CA$2,467

$1,629 CA$2,286

7.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,770 CA$10.9K

$3,600 CA$5,053

115.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,085 CA$8,539

$3,243 CA$4,551

87.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,980 CA$4,182

$3,115 CA$4,372

-4.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

4.51

0.89%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 26, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 25.3% $358

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$331 12.9%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 18.7% $62

Eating Out

Scarborough

$280 11%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 3.4% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$221 8.6%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 15.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$128 5%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 6.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Scarborough

$124 4.8%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 10.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$62 2.4%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 29.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,744 in Scarborough and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70 in Scarborough vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $393 per month, with Scarborough cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

16:12 4:12 PM

2 h behind Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Scarborough Calgary 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in transport and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Scarborough. 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: $1,744 in Scarborough versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $749 in Scarborough 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 Calgary runs roughly 15% less than in Scarborough. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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