Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,536 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
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Victoria Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Victoria

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,536

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Victoria versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Victoria $2,536
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,847 in Victoria versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Victoria $3,847
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,159 in Victoria versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Victoria $5,159
Calgary $4,379

Living in Victoria is roughly 14% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Victoria 88% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.21 CA$27.16

$17.22 CA$24.34

11.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.2 CA$99.2

$71.1 CA$100

-1.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 CA$15.59

$10.53 CA$14.89

4.75%

Cappuccino

$4.41 CA$6.23

$3.66 CA$5.18

20.49%

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

$2.33 CA$3.30

$1.98 CA$2.80

17.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 CA$2.65

$1.94 CA$2.74

-3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 CA$7.97

$4.95 CA$7.00

13.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 CA$9.31

$5.57 CA$7.87

18.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 CA$3.86

$1.88 CA$2.65

45.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 CA$4.22

$2.67 CA$3.78

11.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.68

$5.32 CA$7.52

-24.44%

Eggs

$4.14 CA$5.85

$3.79 CA$5.35

9.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.73 CA$37.79

$11.09 CA$15.68

141.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 CA$17.62

$11.36 CA$16.05

9.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 CA$20.25

$18.40 CA$26.01

-22.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$4.56 CA$6.45

-14.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.44 CA$2.04

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 CA$5.57

$4.08 CA$5.76

-3.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 CA$5.94

$3.89 CA$5.50

7.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.89

$2.64 CA$3.73

31.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$2.64 CA$3.73

7.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.17 CA$4.49

$2.50 CA$3.54

26.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$1.50 CA$2.12

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.95 CA$21.13

$14.05 CA$19.86

6.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 CA$24.58

$15.70 CA$22.20

10.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 CA$5.40

$2.44 CA$3.45

56.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 CA$4.85

$3.09 CA$4.37

11.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 CA$2.89

$2.82 CA$3.99

-27.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 CA$84.8

$88.6 CA$125

-32.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 CA$3.90

$3.12 CA$4.41

-11.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.17

$1.35 CA$1.91

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.02 CA$48.09

$27.02 CA$38.20

25.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$1.16 CA$1.64

21.55%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-1.89%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

-9.04%

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

$104 CA$147

$161 CA$227

-35.26%

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

$44.32 CA$62.7

$38.13 CA$53.9

16.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 CA$86.1

$50.0 CA$70.7

21.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.17 CA$61.0

$51.5 CA$72.8

-16.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.01 CA$24.05

$18.14 CA$25.64

-6.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.63 CA$15.03

$13.82 CA$19.54

-23.08%

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

$886 CA$1,252

$786 CA$1,111

12.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K CA$32.8K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

49.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.5

$58.3 CA$82.4

-8.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.58 CA$61.6

$39.27 CA$55.5

10.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 CA$127

$89.8 CA$127

0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$149

$110 CA$155

-3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CA$2,151

$1,229 CA$1,737

23.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 CA$1,831

$1,001 CA$1,415

29.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,720 CA$3,845

$1,921 CA$2,716

41.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 CA$3,273

$1,621 CA$2,292

42.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,206 CA$7,359

$3,549 CA$5,018

46.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,371 CA$6,179

$3,335 CA$4,715

31.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,251 CA$4,595

$3,165 CA$4,474

2.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

4.51

-4.43%

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

Last update for Victoria: October 13, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Victoria

$1.3K 51.1%

Calgary

$1K 45% 22.7% $294

Groceries & Markets

Victoria

$459 18.1%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 16.1% $74

Eating Out

Victoria

$298 11.7%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 11.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Victoria

$209 8.3%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 18.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Victoria

$132 5.2%

Calgary

$134 6% 1.6% $2.1

Getting Around

Victoria

$79 3.1%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 39.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Victoria

$64 2.5%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 22.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,521 in Victoria and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Victoria pays 3% 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: $70.0 in Victoria vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $459 vs $385, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Victoria

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

1 h ahead of Victoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,792

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

Victoria Calgary 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Victoria
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

Victoria vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Victoria, 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: $1,521 in Victoria 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 $70.0 in Victoria. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,536 per month in Victoria versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,536 in Victoria, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Victoria. 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 14% less than in Victoria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.