Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo and Calgary Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo and Calgary

🙂 Solo nomad: Waterloo is 13.3% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 4.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Waterloo is 12.1% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 2.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.98 CA$20.39
$18.19 CA$24.76
-17.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.9 CA$91
$70.5 CA$96
-5.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.83 CA$13.38
$11.19 CA$15.23
-12.15%
Cappuccino
$3.11 CA$4.24
$3.77 CA$5.13
-17.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 CA$2.14
$1.97 CA$2.68
-20.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62 CA$2.21
$1.73 CA$2.35
-6.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.55 CA$7.55
$5.28 CA$7.19
5.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.75 CA$9.18
$6.71 CA$9.13
0.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 CA$2.94
$2.21 CA$3.01
-2.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 CA$3.04
$2.77 CA$3.78
-19.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.55 CA$3.47
$3.41 CA$4.65
-25.22%
Eggs
$3.03 CA$4.12
$3.42 CA$4.65
-11.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.23 CA$11.2
$14.33 CA$19.51
-42.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.56 CA$22.54
$12.6 CA$17.15
31.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.16 CA$19.27
$15.99 CA$21.76
-11.44%
Apples (1kg)
$4.15 CA$5.65
$4.49 CA$6.11
-7.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 CA$1.61
$1.34 CA$1.82
-11.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.22 CA$4.39
$3.83 CA$5.22
-15.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.78 CA$5.14
$4.35 CA$5.92
-13.10%
Potato (1kg)
$2.28 CA$3.1
$2.63 CA$3.58
-13.31%
Onion (1kg)
$2.84 CA$3.87
$2.63 CA$3.58
7.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.95 CA$2.65
$2.74 CA$3.73
-28.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 CA$2.19
$1.87 CA$2.54
-13.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.19 CA$19.32
$15.02 CA$20.44
-5.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.91 CA$14.85
$14.43 CA$19.65
-24.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.49 CA$3.39
$2.86 CA$3.89
-12.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 CA$4.54
$3.82 CA$5.19
-12.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.79 CA$3.8
$2.83 CA$3.85
-1.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.5 CA$94.6
$86 CA$117
-19.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.64 CA$3.6
$3.56 CA$4.84
-25.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 CA$2.29
$1.36 CA$1.85
23.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.07 CA$39.57
$28.68 CA$39.03
1.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 CA$1.58
$1.08 CA$1.46
7.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.3K CA$34.4K
$24.6K CA$33.4K
2.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K CA$26.7K
$21.8K CA$29.7K
-9.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$186 CA$254
$210 CA$285
-11.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.08 CA$50.5
$41.82 CA$56.9
-11.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54 CA$73.5
$57.8 CA$78.7
-6.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.11 CA$53.2
$53.3 CA$72.6
-26.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.74 CA$21.43
$53.6 CA$72.9
-70.62%
Cinema Ticket
$12.04 CA$16.38
$12.62 CA$17.17
-4.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$566 CA$770
$867 CA$1,180
-34.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.2K CA$13.9K
$16.1K CA$21.9K
-36.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.2 CA$72.5
$57.5 CA$78.3
-7.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.85 CA$35.19
$46.96 CA$63.9
-44.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.9 CA$96.5
$86.7 CA$118
-18.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.2 CA$119
$106 CA$144
-17.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,426 CA$1,941
$1,394 CA$1,897
2.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,251 CA$1,703
$1,168 CA$1,589
7.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,344 CA$3,191
$2,339 CA$3,184
0.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,068 CA$2,815
$1,885 CA$2,566
9.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,623 CA$7,654
$3,575 CA$4,867
57.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,343 CA$5,912
$3,139 CA$4,273
38.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Waterloo
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,028 CA$4,122
$2,990 CA$4,070
1.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.71
5.71
17.51%

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

Last update for Waterloo: October 28, 2025

Last update for Calgary: October 29, 2025

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