Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney, NS and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Sydney, NS: $1,614 a month against $2,255 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,614

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Sydney, NS versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Sydney, NS $1,614
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,535 in Sydney, NS versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Sydney, NS $2,535
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,456 in Sydney, NS versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Sydney, NS $3,456
Calgary $4,468

Living in Sydney, NS costs roughly 28% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney, NS 19% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.13 CA$15.74

$17.58 CA$24.85

-36.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 CA$88.0

$69.1 CA$97.6

-9.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 CA$10.12

$10.59 CA$14.97

-32.39%

Cappuccino

$2.87 CA$4.06

$3.84 CA$5.42

-25.26%

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

$2.33 CA$3.30

$1.93 CA$2.72

20.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.92

$1.88 CA$2.66

10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.00 CA$2.82

7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 CA$3.61

$2.78 CA$3.93

-7.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.41

$5.59 CA$7.90

-56.89%

Eggs

$3.32 CA$4.69

$3.70 CA$5.23

-10.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 CA$8.87

$11.48 CA$16.23

-45.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 CA$11.63

$11.20 CA$15.84

-26.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 CA$18.36

$18.59 CA$26.28

-30.12%

Apples (1kg)

$7.01 CA$9.91

$4.70 CA$6.64

49.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.45 CA$2.05

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$3.79 CA$5.36

-63.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 CA$1.18

$2.69 CA$3.81

-68.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.68

$2.75 CA$3.88

-30.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.30 CA$8.90

$2.56 CA$3.62

146.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.78 CA$25.14

$14.39 CA$20.34

23.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 CA$5.92

$3.10 CA$4.39

34.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 CA$1.53

$2.81 CA$3.97

-61.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.48 CA$68.5

$90.6 CA$128

-46.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 CA$5.87

$3.28 CA$4.64

26.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.22 CA$1.72

-1.64%

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

$25.7K CA$36.4K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-9.27%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

-8.08%

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

$86.3 CA$122

$165 CA$233

-47.59%

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

$36.04 CA$51.0

$38.24 CA$54.1

-5.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 CA$104

$50.1 CA$70.9

46.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.94 CA$70.6

$53.8 CA$76.1

-7.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.45 CA$4.88

$18.04 CA$25.51

-80.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 CA$9.96

$14.04 CA$19.84

-49.86%

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

$721 CA$1,020

$797 CA$1,126

-9.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 CA$96.3

$59.1 CA$83.5

15.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 CA$95.1

$40.20 CA$56.8

67.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 CA$141

$90.8 CA$128

9.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$109 CA$155

-4.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 CA$1,262

$1,207 CA$1,707

-26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 CA$1,024

$1,011 CA$1,429

-28.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,753 CA$2,479

$1,949 CA$2,756

-10.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 CA$1,943

$1,677 CA$2,371

-18.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,527 CA$3,573

$3,152 CA$4,456

-19.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.8

4.51

28.60%

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

Last update for Sydney, NS: October 17, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney, NS

$724 44.9%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 39.6% $287

Groceries & Markets

Sydney, NS

$258 * 16%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 52% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney, NS

$196 12.1%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 29.3% $57

Eating Out

Sydney, NS

$163 * 10.1%

Calgary

$270 12% 66.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney, NS

$153 9.5%

Calgary

$135 6% 11.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney, NS

$64 4%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 27.9% $18

Getting Around

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5%

Calgary

$112 5% 96.8% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $893 in Sydney, NS and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 25% 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: $62.0 in Sydney, NS vs $69.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $392 per month, with Sydney, NS cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

3 h behind Sydney, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,960

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

Sydney, NS Calgary 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney, NS
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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

Sydney, NS vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney, NS is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% 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: $893 in Sydney, NS versus $1,207 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sydney, NS – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Sydney, NS versus $2,255 in Calgary – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,614 in Sydney, NS versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sydney, NS but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Sydney, NS 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 Sydney, NS gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.