Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilkes-Barre, PA and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Wilkes-Barre, PA and in Calgary: $2,190 and $2,255 a month, rent and utilities included.

106

Cost of Living Index in Wilkes-Barre, PA
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Wilkes-Barre, PA Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,190

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $2,190
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,358 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $3,358
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,526 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $4,526
Calgary $4,468

Living in Wilkes-Barre, PA costs roughly 3% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wilkes-Barre, PA 62% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 $18.15

$17.58 CA$24.85

3.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 $49.37

$69.1 CA$97.6

-28.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 $10.40

$10.59 CA$14.97

-1.79%

Cappuccino

$3.91 $3.91

$3.84 CA$5.42

1.82%

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

$0.99 $0.99

$1.93 CA$2.72

-48.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.88 CA$2.66

5.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$5.09 CA$7.20

34.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$5.64 CA$7.97

29.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.00 CA$2.82

-55.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.78 CA$3.93

16.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$5.59 CA$7.90

-21.65%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$3.70 CA$5.23

8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 $10.82

$11.48 CA$16.23

-5.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$11.20 CA$15.84

19.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.75 $17.75

$18.59 CA$26.28

-4.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$4.70 CA$6.64

36.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.45 CA$2.05

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$4.34 CA$6.13

24.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.79 CA$5.36

79.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.69 CA$3.81

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.75 CA$3.88

37.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.56 CA$3.62

16.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.50 CA$2.12

82.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.11 $15.11

$14.39 CA$20.34

5.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$15.81 CA$22.35

-6.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.47 CA$3.49

23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.10 CA$4.39

51.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.81 CA$3.97

-47.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.28 CA$4.64

16.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.40 CA$1.97

56.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.91 $29.91

$26.49 CA$37.45

12.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.22 CA$1.72

-9.84%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

9.05%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

28.89%

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

$238 $238

$165 CA$233

44.56%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$38.24 CA$54.1

50.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$50.1 CA$70.9

48.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 $49.49

$53.8 CA$76.1

-8.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

Cinema Ticket

$14.75 $14.75

$14.04 CA$19.84

5.06%

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

$1,732 $1,732

$797 CA$1,126

117.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$15.8K CA$22.3K

11.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 $54.5

$59.1 CA$83.5

-7.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.05 $48.05

$40.20 CA$56.8

19.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 $96.1

$90.8 CA$128

5.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$109 CA$155

13.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 $1,253

$1,207 CA$1,707

3.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 $852

$1,011 CA$1,429

-15.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 $1,736

$1,949 CA$2,756

-10.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 $1,752

$1,677 CA$2,371

4.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$3,152 CA$4,456

36.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

4.51

47.89%

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

Last update for Wilkes-Barre, PA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$852 38.9%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 18.6% $159

Groceries & Markets

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$439 20%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 10.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$370 16.9%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 31.6% $117

Eating Out

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$284 13%

Calgary

$270 12% 4.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$145 6.6%

Calgary

$135 6% 7.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$79 3.6%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 3.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$21 * 0.9%

Calgary

$112 5% 442% $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 $1,253 in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wilkes-Barre, PA pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $69.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $439 vs $392, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

2 h behind Wilkes-Barre, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,288

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Wilkes-Barre, PA Calgary 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wilkes-Barre, PA
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

Wilkes-Barre, PA vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wilkes-Barre, PA is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Wilkes-Barre, PA, 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: $1,253 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $1,207 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,732 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $797 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wilkes-Barre, PA – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wilkes-Barre, PA but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.