Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, Canada and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Surrey and in Calgary: $2,338 and $2,303 a month, rent and utilities included.

112

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

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Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,338

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,338 in Surrey versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Surrey $2,338
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,564 in Surrey versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Surrey $3,564
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,791 in Surrey versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Surrey $4,791
Calgary $4,428

Monthly costs are close between Surrey and Calgary; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Surrey 72% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 CA$25.31

$17.55 CA$24.52

3.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 CA$80.3

$70.4 CA$98.4

-18.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 CA$14.06

$10.69 CA$14.94

-5.89%

Cappuccino

$3.52 CA$4.92

$3.89 CA$5.43

-9.51%

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

$2.01 CA$2.81

$2.04 CA$2.85

-1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.10

$1.88 CA$2.62

-20.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 CA$8.40

$4.90 CA$6.84

22.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$7.87

$5.78 CA$8.08

-2.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.96 CA$2.74

26.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 CA$2.94

$2.74 CA$3.83

-23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.09

$5.46 CA$7.63

-33.33%

Eggs

$3.22 CA$4.50

$3.69 CA$5.15

-12.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 CA$13.65

$11.24 CA$15.71

-13.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 CA$14.78

$11.54 CA$16.12

-8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.34 CA$28.42

$18.38 CA$25.68

10.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.65

$4.90 CA$6.85

-32.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.82

$1.42 CA$1.99

-8.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.10

$4.21 CA$5.88

-30.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.23

$4.02 CA$5.62

-24.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 CA$3.62

$2.69 CA$3.77

-3.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.01

$2.66 CA$3.72

-19.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 CA$2.80

$2.61 CA$3.65

-23.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$1.60 CA$2.23

14.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.72

$14.00 CA$19.57

0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$19.85

$15.40 CA$21.52

-7.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.43

$2.50 CA$3.49

-2.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CA$4.51

$3.09 CA$4.32

4.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$2.93 CA$4.09

-12.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 CA$154

$89.3 CA$125

23.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$3.27 CA$4.57

-19.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.35 CA$1.89

18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.02 CA$39.15

$27.39 CA$38.27

2.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.92

$1.17 CA$1.64

17.95%

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

$28.2K CA$39.3K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

0.78%

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

$21.7K CA$30.3K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

3.20%

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

$187 CA$261

$167 CA$233

11.87%

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

$37.14 CA$51.9

$38.27 CA$53.5

-2.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 CA$91.9

$50.9 CA$71.2

29.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.83 CA$44.48

$51.0 CA$71.2

-37.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.35 CA$35.42

$18.17 CA$25.39

39.52%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 CA$17.02

$14.44 CA$20.18

-15.65%

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

$668 CA$934

$545 CA$762

22.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K CA$16.9K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-25.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 CA$76.8

$58.9 CA$82.3

-6.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 CA$85.4

$39.75 CA$55.6

53.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 CA$139

$93.4 CA$130

6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 CA$127

$110 CA$154

-17.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 CA$1,923

$1,254 CA$1,752

9.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 CA$1,528

$1,056 CA$1,476

3.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 CA$3,641

$2,022 CA$2,826

28.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 CA$2,927

$1,629 CA$2,276

28.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,631 CA$9,265

$3,600 CA$5,031

84.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,166 CA$7,218

$3,243 CA$4,531

59.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,156 CA$4,410

$3,115 CA$4,353

1.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

4.51

7.98%

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

Last update for Surrey: 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

Surrey

$1.1K 46.8%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 3.4% $37

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$357 15.3%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 10% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$289 12.4%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 11.6% $33

Eating Out

Surrey

$273 11.7%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 0.7% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$138 5.9%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 1.4% $1.9

Getting Around

Surrey

$131 5.6%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 15.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$56 2.4%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 42.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,376 in Surrey and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in Surrey vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $393 per month, with Surrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Surrey

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

11:30 11:30 AM

1 h ahead of Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

517,887

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

Surrey Calgary 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surrey
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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

Surrey vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $3,507 in Surrey 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: $1,376 in Surrey versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Surrey versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surrey – a meal for two runs $57 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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