Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vaughan and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,554 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vaughan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
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Vaughan Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,554

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Vaughan versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Vaughan $2,554
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,726 in Vaughan versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Vaughan $3,726
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,898 in Vaughan versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Vaughan $4,898
Calgary $4,379

Living in Vaughan is roughly 15% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vaughan 89% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 CA$23.66

$17.22 CA$24.34

-2.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 CA$95.4

$71.1 CA$100

-5.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 CA$14.13

$10.53 CA$14.89

-5.13%

Cappuccino

$3.64 CA$5.15

$3.66 CA$5.18

-0.55%

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

$1.97 CA$2.78

$1.98 CA$2.80

-0.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.94 CA$2.74

-19.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 CA$8.89

$4.95 CA$7.00

27.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 CA$8.58

$5.57 CA$7.87

8.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.88 CA$2.65

3.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$2.67 CA$3.78

-15.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$5.32 CA$7.52

-49.44%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.22

$3.79 CA$5.35

-21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 CA$13.03

$11.09 CA$15.68

-16.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 CA$17.10

$11.36 CA$16.05

6.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 CA$19.22

$18.40 CA$26.01

-26.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$4.56 CA$6.45

-25.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.44 CA$2.04

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.95

$4.08 CA$5.76

-14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$3.89 CA$5.50

-17.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$2.64 CA$3.73

-39.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$2.64 CA$3.73

-39.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$2.50 CA$3.54

-11.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$1.50 CA$2.12

-22.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 CA$17.68

$14.05 CA$19.86

-11.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 CA$16.85

$15.70 CA$22.20

-24.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.78

$2.44 CA$3.45

-19.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$3.09 CA$4.37

-53.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 CA$3.87

$2.82 CA$3.99

-2.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CA$147

$88.6 CA$125

17.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.32

$3.12 CA$4.41

-1.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 CA$1.69

$1.35 CA$1.91

-11.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.75 CA$30.74

$27.02 CA$38.20

-19.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.54

$1.16 CA$1.64

-6.03%

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

$24.1K CA$34.0K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-13.74%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

-7.48%

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

$110 CA$156

$161 CA$227

-31.37%

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

$29.17 CA$41.24

$38.13 CA$53.9

-23.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.57 CA$70.1

$50.0 CA$70.7

-0.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.67 CA$44.77

$51.5 CA$72.8

-38.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.84 CA$29.46

$18.14 CA$25.64

14.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 CA$13.80

$13.82 CA$19.54

-29.38%

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

$910 CA$1,286

$786 CA$1,111

15.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K CA$24.0K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

9.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 CA$59.4

$58.3 CA$82.4

-27.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.75 CA$52.0

$39.27 CA$55.5

-6.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$150

$89.8 CA$127

18.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$110 CA$155

-4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 CA$2,359

$1,229 CA$1,737

35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 CA$2,090

$1,001 CA$1,415

47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,629 CA$3,716

$1,921 CA$2,716

36.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,415

$1,621 CA$2,292

49.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,700 CA$12.3K

$3,549 CA$5,018

145.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,171 CA$8,724

$3,335 CA$4,715

85.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,905 CA$4,107

$3,165 CA$4,474

-8.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.51

19.51%

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

Last update for Vaughan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vaughan

$1.5K 57.9%

Calgary

$1K 45% 32.3% $477

Groceries & Markets

Vaughan

$316 12.4%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 22.1% $70

Eating Out

Vaughan

$265 10.4%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vaughan

$189 7.4%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 31.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Vaughan

$130 5.1%

Calgary

$134 6% 2.7% $3.5

Getting Around

Vaughan

$124 4.9%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 11.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Vaughan

$51 2%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 54.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,669 in Vaughan and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Vaughan vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $385 per month, with Vaughan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h behind Vaughan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,103

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

Vaughan Calgary 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vaughan
Calgary

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Vaughan vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% 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: $1,669 in Vaughan versus $1,229 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 $71.0 versus $67.0 in Vaughan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,554 per month in Vaughan versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,554 in Vaughan, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Vaughan. 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.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Vaughan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.