Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Toronto $2,589
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Toronto $3,710
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Toronto $4,831
Calgary $4,428

Living in Toronto is roughly 12% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.59

$17.55 CA$24.52

0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$70.4 CA$98.4

10.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.79

$10.69 CA$14.94

-0.94%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.81

$3.89 CA$5.43

6.94%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.04 CA$2.85

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.45

$1.88 CA$2.62

-6.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.19

$4.90 CA$6.84

34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.94

$5.78 CA$8.08

23.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.54

$1.96 CA$2.74

29.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.78

$2.74 CA$3.83

-1.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.13

$5.46 CA$7.63

-58.97%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$3.69 CA$5.15

-5.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.10

$11.24 CA$15.71

-16.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.21

$11.54 CA$16.12

0.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.52

$18.38 CA$25.68

-20.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.23

$4.90 CA$6.85

-23.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.42 CA$1.99

-14.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.86

$4.21 CA$5.88

-17.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.04

$4.02 CA$5.62

7.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$2.69 CA$3.77

-31.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.36

$2.66 CA$3.72

-36.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.61 CA$3.65

-14.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.60 CA$2.23

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.62

$14.00 CA$19.57

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.16

$15.40 CA$21.52

-6.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$2.50 CA$3.49

-13.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$3.09 CA$4.32

-18.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.31

$2.93 CA$4.09

-19.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$157

$89.3 CA$125

25.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.25

$3.27 CA$4.57

-7.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.73

$1.35 CA$1.89

-8.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.51

$27.39 CA$38.27

-17.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.17 CA$1.64

5.98%

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

$26.9K CA$37.6K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

-3.71%

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

$21.4K CA$29.9K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

1.67%

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

$125 CA$174

$167 CA$233

-25.24%

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

$33.05 CA$46.19

$38.27 CA$53.5

-13.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.0

$50.9 CA$71.2

-5.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.3

$51.0 CA$71.2

-27.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.07

$18.17 CA$25.39

30.27%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.27

$14.44 CA$20.18

-9.42%

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

$759 CA$1,060

$545 CA$762

39.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.2K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

46.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$74.8

$58.9 CA$82.3

-9.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.5

$39.75 CA$55.6

1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$140

$93.4 CA$130

7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$175

$110 CA$154

13.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,277

$1,254 CA$1,752

29.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,978

$1,056 CA$1,476

34.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,765

$2,022 CA$2,826

33.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,936

$1,629 CA$2,276

29.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$3,600 CA$5,031

109.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,325

$3,243 CA$4,531

105.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,951

$3,115 CA$4,353

13.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.51

-1.33%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 25.4% $359

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 13.9% $48

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 4.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 24.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 5.5% $8

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 15.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 27% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 14% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Toronto vs $70 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $393, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Calgary 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
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

Toronto vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Toronto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,254 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 $70 versus $78 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,589 per month in Toronto versus $2,303 in Calgary – Calgary is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Calgary wins on affordability, Toronto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.