Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valdez, AK and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $2,724 in Valdez, AK, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Valdez, AK
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Valdez, AK Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Valdez, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,724

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,724 in Valdez, AK versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Valdez, AK $2,724
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,067 in Valdez, AK versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Valdez, AK $4,067
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,410 in Valdez, AK versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Valdez, AK $5,410
Calgary $4,493

Living in Valdez, AK is roughly 22% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valdez, AK 103% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.01 $24.01

$17.22 CA$24.54

39.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$71.2 CA$101

43.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.75 $19.75

$10.56 CA$15.06

87.03%

Cappuccino

$4.16 $4.16

$3.77 CA$5.38

10.34%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$1.91 CA$2.73

30.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.84 CA$2.63

21.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.86 CA$6.93

42.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.13 $9.13

$5.55 CA$7.91

64.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.88 CA$2.68

-45.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.73 CA$3.89

30.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$5.34 CA$7.61

-18.16%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$3.77 CA$5.37

13.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$11.29 CA$16.09

11.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$11.46 CA$16.34

-0.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$18.26 CA$26.03

-8.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$4.64 CA$6.62

7.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.44 CA$2.05

13.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.22 CA$6.02

-0.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.86 CA$5.50

22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.62 CA$3.74

9.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.66 CA$3.79

9.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.59 CA$3.69

-15.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.53 CA$2.19

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 $10.11

$14.26 CA$20.32

-29.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$15.27 CA$21.76

-2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.41 CA$3.44

-15.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.09 CA$4.41

9.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.88 CA$4.11

-29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.23 CA$4.61

12.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.38 CA$1.97

16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 $27.73

$26.49 CA$37.75

4.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.18 CA$1.68

13.56%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$28.3K CA$40.3K

22.42%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

21.61%

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

$309 $309

$159 CA$227

93.76%

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

$57.8 $57.8

$37.61 CA$53.6

53.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.8 $97.8

$49.68 CA$70.8

96.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.96 $41.96

$53.3 CA$75.9

-21.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$14.07 $14.07

$14.08 CA$20.06

-0.07%

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

$1,567 $1,567

$809 CA$1,154

93.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$15.9K CA$22.6K

45.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 $57.6

$58.8 CA$83.8

-2.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.87 $35.87

$38.84 CA$55.4

-7.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$91.4 CA$130

0.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$109 CA$155

16.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,237 CA$1,764

27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$996 CA$1,420

31.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,688 $2,688

$1,908 CA$2,720

40.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 $2,432

$1,671 CA$2,382

45.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$3,530 CA$5,032

-33.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,178 $2,178

$3,336 CA$4,755

-34.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,523 $7,523

$3,130 CA$4,461

140.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

4.51

45.68%

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

Last update for Valdez, AK: October 5, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valdez, AK

$1.3K 47.1%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 23.8% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valdez, AK

$464 16.7%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 46.9% $218

Groceries & Markets

Valdez, AK

$398 14.4%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 2.7% $11

Eating Out

Valdez, AK

$373 13.5%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 28.9% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Valdez, AK

$141 5.1%

Calgary

$134 6% 4.7% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Valdez, AK

$70 2.5%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 16.1% $11

Getting Around

Valdez, AK

$20 * 0.7%

Calgary

$110 5% 456% $91

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 $1,580 in Valdez, AK and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valdez, AK pays 140% 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: $102 in Valdez, AK vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $387 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Valdez, AK

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

2 h ahead of Valdez, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,000

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Valdez, AK Calgary 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Valdez, AK
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

Valdez, AK vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 140% higher in Valdez, AK, 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: $1,580 in Valdez, AK versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,567 in Valdez, AK versus $809 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $102 in Valdez, AK. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,724 in Valdez, AK, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Valdez, AK. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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.

Safety-wise, Valdez, AK and Calgary are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Valdez, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.