Cost of Living Comparison Between Thunder Bay and Calgary Cost of Living Comparison Between Thunder Bay and Calgary

🙂 Solo nomad: Thunder Bay is 12.7% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 4% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Thunder Bay is 1.1% more expensive than Calgary without rent, and 0.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.19 CA$24.92
$18.57 CA$25.44
-2.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.7 CA$80.4
$70.2 CA$96.1
-16.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.65 CA$17.33
$10.98 CA$15.04
15.21%
Cappuccino
$3.73 CA$5.11
$3.86 CA$5.29
-3.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 CA$2.49
$2.05 CA$2.81
-11.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 CA$2.11
$1.68 CA$2.30
-8.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.50 CA$7.53
$5.07 CA$6.94
8.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.22 CA$7.15
$6.55 CA$8.97
-20.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.47 CA$3.38
$2.22 CA$3.04
11.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 CA$3.33
$2.76 CA$3.79
-11.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.34 CA$4.57
$3.36 CA$4.60
-0.60%
Eggs
$3.62 CA$4.96
$3.36 CA$4.60
7.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.58 CA$24.08
$14.46 CA$19.81
21.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.41 CA$22.48
$12.88 CA$17.64
27.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.95 CA$24.59
$15.88 CA$21.75
13.04%
Apples (1kg)
$3.48 CA$4.77
$4.26 CA$5.84
-18.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 CA$1.82
$1.30 CA$1.78
2.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.97 CA$5.44
$3.73 CA$5.12
6.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.71 CA$5.08
$4.24 CA$5.81
-12.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 CA$3.68
$2.58 CA$3.54
4.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 CA$2.94
$2.62 CA$3.58
-17.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.02 CA$4.13
$2.65 CA$3.63
13.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 CA$2.92
$1.85 CA$2.54
15.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.23 CA$15.38
$14.61 CA$20.02
-23.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.03 CA$10.99
$14.51 CA$19.88
-44.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.79
$2.90 CA$3.97
-29.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 CA$3.95
$4.04 CA$5.54
-28.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.36 CA$3.23
$2.71 CA$3.72
-12.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.0 CA$89.0
$87.6 CA$120
-25.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 CA$4.42
$3.60 CA$4.93
-10.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 CA$2.83
$1.37 CA$1.87
51.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.66 CA$35.15
$28.89 CA$39.58
-11.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 CA$1.59
$1.12 CA$1.53
3.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K CA$34.5K
$24.8K CA$34.0K
1.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$27.8K
$21.8K CA$29.8K
-6.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 CA$276
$215 CA$295
-6.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$60.1 CA$82.3
$40.83 CA$55.9
47.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$99.0 CA$136
$58.1 CA$79.7
70.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.37 CA$41.61
$53.5 CA$73.3
-43.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.16 CA$24.88
$52.7 CA$72.1
-65.51%
Cinema Ticket
$13.37 CA$18.32
$12.33 CA$16.89
8.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$748 CA$1,024
$875 CA$1,198
-14.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K CA$16.3K
$16.2K CA$22.2K
-26.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.4 CA$81.3
$58.4 CA$80.0
1.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.04 CA$50.7
$47.38 CA$64.9
-21.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.6 CA$106
$86.2 CA$118
-10.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 CA$190
$107 CA$146
29.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 CA$1,411
$1,366 CA$1,871
-24.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,029 CA$1,410
$1,174 CA$1,609
-12.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,852 CA$2,537
$2,354 CA$3,225
-21.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,846 CA$2,529
$1,868 CA$2,560
-1.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,793 CA$5,197
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,599 CA$4,931
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thunder Bay
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,978 CA$4,080
$3,114 CA$4,266
-4.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.19
5.71
8.41%

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

Last update for Thunder Bay: February 28, 2026

Last update for Calgary: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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