Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in St. Thomas outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,432 in St. Thomas versus $2,223 in Calgary.

St. Thomas $2,432
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in St. Thomas versus $3,301 in Calgary.

St. Thomas $3,274
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,117 in St. Thomas versus $4,379 in Calgary.

St. Thomas $4,117
Calgary $4,379

Living in St. Thomas is roughly 9% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Thomas 80% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.05 CA$29.76

$17.22 CA$24.34

22.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 CA$88.5

$71.1 CA$100

-11.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$10.53 CA$14.89

8.07%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CA$4.69

$3.66 CA$5.18

-9.29%

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

$2.19 CA$3.10

$1.98 CA$2.80

10.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$1.94 CA$2.74

-18.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.10

$4.95 CA$7.00

1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CA$8.33

$5.57 CA$7.87

5.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.95

$1.88 CA$2.65

10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$2.67 CA$3.78

-2.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.27

$5.32 CA$7.52

-29.89%

Eggs

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.79 CA$5.35

-18.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.05

$11.09 CA$15.68

-10.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.43 CA$21.81

$11.36 CA$16.05

35.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 CA$27.15

$18.40 CA$26.01

4.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.46

$4.56 CA$6.45

-15.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.44 CA$2.04

-13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.94

$4.08 CA$5.76

-14.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.89 CA$5.50

2.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.76

$2.64 CA$3.73

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.64 CA$3.73

16.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$2.50 CA$3.54

14.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.06

$1.50 CA$2.12

-2.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CA$15.52

$14.05 CA$19.86

-21.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.01

$15.70 CA$22.20

-18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$2.44 CA$3.45

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$3.09 CA$4.37

-10.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.82 CA$3.99

-20.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 CA$82.9

$88.6 CA$125

-33.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 CA$3.26

$3.12 CA$4.41

-26.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$1.35 CA$1.91

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.70 CA$30.68

$27.02 CA$38.20

-19.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$1.16 CA$1.64

-2.59%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

0.44%

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

$19.7K CA$27.9K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

-3.14%

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

$123 CA$174

$161 CA$227

-23.25%

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

$42.76 CA$60.5

$38.13 CA$53.9

12.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CA$78.4

$50.0 CA$70.7

10.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 CA$62.8

$51.5 CA$72.8

-13.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 CA$28.72

$18.14 CA$25.64

12.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.61

$13.82 CA$19.54

-25.25%

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

$399 CA$564

$786 CA$1,111

-49.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.5K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

7.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.7

$58.3 CA$82.4

-8.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.84 CA$50.7

$39.27 CA$55.5

-8.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$116

$89.8 CA$127

-8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 CA$128

$110 CA$155

-17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,622

$1,229 CA$1,737

-6.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 CA$1,792

$1,001 CA$1,415

26.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 CA$2,537

$1,921 CA$2,716

-6.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CA$2,078

$1,621 CA$2,292

-9.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,187 CA$5,919

$3,549 CA$5,018

17.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 CA$5,034

$3,335 CA$4,715

6.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,970 CA$4,198

$3,165 CA$4,474

-6.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.51

10.64%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: 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

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1%

Calgary

$1K 45% 21% $266

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$387 15.9%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 0.6% $2.1

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$294 12.1%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 10% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$222 9.1%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 12.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$118 4.9%

Calgary

$134 6% 13.3% $16

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$78 3.2%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 40.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$65 2.7%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 21.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,148 in St. Thomas and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in St. Thomas vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $387 vs $385, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h behind St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

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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Between locations

St. Thomas Calgary 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Thomas
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

St. Thomas vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,148 in St. Thomas versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $63.0 in St. Thomas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,432 per month in St. Thomas versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,432 in St. Thomas, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in St. Thomas. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in St. Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.