Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Albert, AB and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in St. Albert, AB versus $2,223 in Calgary.

St. Albert, AB $1,167
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,457 in St. Albert, AB versus $3,301 in Calgary.

St. Albert, AB $2,457
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,747 in St. Albert, AB versus $4,379 in Calgary.

St. Albert, AB $3,747
Calgary $4,379

Living in St. Albert, AB costs roughly 47% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: St. Albert, AB is 14% below, Calgary is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.29 CA$27.27

$17.22 CA$24.34

12.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 CA$97.9

$71.1 CA$100

-2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 CA$14.00

$10.53 CA$14.89

-5.98%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.38

$3.66 CA$5.18

4.10%

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

$2.05 CA$2.90

$1.98 CA$2.80

3.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.94 CA$2.74

3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 CA$7.11

$4.95 CA$7.00

1.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$5.57 CA$7.87

1.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 CA$2.37

$1.88 CA$2.65

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.07

$2.67 CA$3.78

-18.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.30

$5.32 CA$7.52

-42.86%

Eggs

$3.46 CA$4.89

$3.79 CA$5.35

-8.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 CA$16.14

$11.09 CA$15.68

2.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 CA$16.03

$11.36 CA$16.05

-0.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.19 CA$25.71

$18.40 CA$26.01

-1.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.96

$4.56 CA$6.45

-7.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.96

$1.44 CA$2.04

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 CA$6.06

$4.08 CA$5.76

5.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.59

$3.89 CA$5.50

1.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.64 CA$3.73

-0.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$2.50 CA$3.54

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.20

$1.50 CA$2.12

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.93 CA$19.70

$14.05 CA$19.86

-0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 CA$16.57

$15.70 CA$22.20

-25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.43

$2.44 CA$3.45

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.09 CA$4.37

-8.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 CA$2.88

$2.82 CA$3.99

-28.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 CA$85.6

$88.6 CA$125

-31.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$3.12 CA$4.41

-6.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.35 CA$1.91

0.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 CA$29.54

$27.02 CA$38.20

-22.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 CA$1.56

$1.16 CA$1.64

-5.17%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-2.27%

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

$19.5K CA$27.5K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

-4.35%

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

$160 CA$227

$161 CA$227

-0.30%

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

$38.86 CA$54.9

$38.13 CA$53.9

1.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$50.0 CA$70.7

5.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$51.5 CA$72.8

-22.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.90

$13.82 CA$19.54

-8.39%

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

$748 CA$1,057

$786 CA$1,111

-4.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,306 CA$13.2K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-39.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 CA$78.8

$58.3 CA$82.4

-4.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.02 CA$55.2

$39.27 CA$55.5

-0.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 CA$118

$89.8 CA$127

-7.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$110 CA$155

0.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 CA$1,886

$1,921 CA$2,716

-30.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 CA$1,589

$1,621 CA$2,292

-30.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,488 CA$3,517

$3,549 CA$5,018

-29.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 CA$3,523

$3,335 CA$4,715

-25.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 CA$4,462

$3,165 CA$4,474

-0.26%

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 St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 7.1% $26

Eating Out

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 6.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 1.1% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1%

Calgary

$134 6% 3% $3.9

Getting Around

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 40% $31

Sport & Entertainment

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 21.1% $14

Accommodation & Living

St. Albert, AB

- * 0%

Calgary

$1K 45%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Calgary pays 0% 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: $69.0 in St. Albert, AB vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $385 per month, with St. Albert, AB cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

Same time as St. Albert, AB

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,232

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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St. Albert, AB Calgary 290 km

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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

St. Albert, AB vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Albert, AB is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 0% 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.

Dining out is cheaper in St. Albert, AB – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,167 per month in St. Albert, AB versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,167 in St. Albert, AB versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $1,000 budget is realistic in St. Albert, AB but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes St. Albert, AB 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.

Expats usually find St. Albert, AB gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.