Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thunder Bay and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Thunder Bay and in Calgary: $2,169 and $2,255 a month, rent and utilities included.

106

Cost of Living Index in Thunder Bay
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Thunder Bay Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,169

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,169 in Thunder Bay versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Thunder Bay $2,169
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,338 in Thunder Bay versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Thunder Bay $3,338
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,508 in Thunder Bay versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Thunder Bay $4,508
Calgary $4,468

Living in Thunder Bay costs roughly 4% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thunder Bay 60% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.63 CA$24.93

$17.58 CA$24.85

0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 CA$85.1

$69.1 CA$97.6

-12.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 CA$17.84

$10.59 CA$14.97

19.17%

Cappuccino

$3.40 CA$4.81

$3.84 CA$5.42

-11.46%

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

$1.86 CA$2.63

$1.93 CA$2.72

-3.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.88 CA$2.66

-15.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 CA$7.68

$5.09 CA$7.20

6.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 CA$7.12

$5.64 CA$7.97

-10.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 CA$3.20

$2.00 CA$2.82

13.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$2.78 CA$3.93

-8.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.65

$5.59 CA$7.90

-41.14%

Eggs

$3.59 CA$5.08

$3.70 CA$5.23

-2.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.69 CA$23.59

$11.48 CA$16.23

45.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.91 CA$22.50

$11.20 CA$15.84

42.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.25 CA$22.98

$18.59 CA$26.28

-12.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.71

$4.70 CA$6.64

-29.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.45 CA$2.05

-16.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.54

$4.34 CA$6.13

-9.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$3.79 CA$5.36

-8.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$2.69 CA$3.81

-7.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CA$3.05

$2.75 CA$3.88

-21.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.56 CA$3.62

13.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$1.50 CA$2.12

58.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 CA$15.11

$14.39 CA$20.34

-25.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.67 CA$12.26

$15.81 CA$22.35

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.77

$2.47 CA$3.49

-20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.14

$3.10 CA$4.39

-5.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$2.81 CA$3.97

-18.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 CA$90.9

$90.6 CA$128

-29.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 CA$7.44

$3.28 CA$4.64

60.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 CA$2.94

$1.40 CA$1.97

48.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.48 CA$50.2

$26.49 CA$37.45

33.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.22 CA$1.72

-4.92%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-1.39%

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

$21.0K CA$29.7K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

0.74%

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

$159 CA$225

$165 CA$233

-3.23%

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

$57.9 CA$81.8

$38.24 CA$54.1

51.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 CA$112

$50.1 CA$70.9

58.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 CA$41.73

$53.8 CA$76.1

-45.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 CA$25.54

$18.04 CA$25.51

0.11%

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 CA$25.27

$14.04 CA$19.84

27.35%

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

$670 CA$947

$797 CA$1,126

-15.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.7 CA$108

$59.1 CA$83.5

29.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.15 CA$49.69

$40.20 CA$56.8

-12.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 CA$108

$90.8 CA$128

-15.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 CA$184

$109 CA$155

18.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 CA$1,488

$1,207 CA$1,707

-12.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 CA$1,283

$1,011 CA$1,429

-10.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 CA$2,683

$1,949 CA$2,756

-2.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 CA$2,461

$1,677 CA$2,371

3.78%

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)

$3,027 CA$4,279

$3,152 CA$4,456

-3.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

4.51

1.55%

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

Last update for Thunder Bay: 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

Thunder Bay

$908 41.9%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 11.4% $103

Groceries & Markets

Thunder Bay

$396 18.3%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 1.1% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thunder Bay

$296 13.7%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 14.7% $43

Eating Out

Thunder Bay

$271 12.5%

Calgary

$270 12% 0.1% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Thunder Bay

$143 6.6%

Calgary

$135 6% 6% $8.6

Getting Around

Thunder Bay

$89 4.1%

Calgary

$112 5% 25.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Thunder Bay

$65 3%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 25.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,053 in Thunder Bay and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 4% 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: $60.0 in Thunder Bay vs $69.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $396 vs $392, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

08:19 8:19 AM

2 h behind Thunder Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,909

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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Thunder Bay Calgary 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Thunder Bay
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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

Thunder Bay vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thunder Bay is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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: $1,053 in Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,169 per month in Thunder Bay versus $2,255 in Calgary – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,169 in Thunder Bay versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thunder Bay but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.