Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Winnipeg and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Winnipeg: $2,071 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Winnipeg
Learn more

Winnipeg Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Winnipeg

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,071

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,071 in Winnipeg versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Winnipeg $2,071
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,039 in Winnipeg versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Winnipeg $3,039
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,006 in Winnipeg versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Winnipeg $4,006
Calgary $4,428

Living in Winnipeg costs roughly 10% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Winnipeg 52% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 CA$20.25

$17.55 CA$24.52

-17.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.3 CA$89.9

$70.4 CA$98.4

-8.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 CA$14.88

$10.69 CA$14.94

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.26

$3.89 CA$5.43

-3.08%

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

$2.30 CA$3.22

$2.04 CA$2.85

12.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 CA$2.76

$1.88 CA$2.62

5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 CA$8.18

$4.90 CA$6.84

19.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 CA$8.92

$5.78 CA$8.08

10.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.96 CA$2.74

-25.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 CA$3.15

$2.74 CA$3.83

-17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 CA$4.64

$5.46 CA$7.63

-39.19%

Eggs

$3.57 CA$4.99

$3.69 CA$5.15

-3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 CA$13.49

$11.24 CA$15.71

-14.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 CA$14.69

$11.54 CA$16.12

-8.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 CA$22.48

$18.38 CA$25.68

-12.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.33

$4.90 CA$6.85

-22.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.98

$1.42 CA$1.99

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.91

$4.21 CA$5.88

-16.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.77

$4.02 CA$5.62

-15.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.26

$2.69 CA$3.77

-13.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.81

$2.66 CA$3.72

2.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.64

$2.61 CA$3.65

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.85

$1.60 CA$2.23

-17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.81 CA$20.69

$14.00 CA$19.57

5.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 CA$16.93

$15.40 CA$21.52

-21.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 CA$3.79

$2.50 CA$3.49

8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 CA$4.96

$3.09 CA$4.32

14.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.41

$2.93 CA$4.09

-16.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 CA$117

$89.3 CA$125

-6.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.03

$3.27 CA$4.57

-11.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 CA$1.94

$1.35 CA$1.89

2.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.21 CA$33.83

$27.39 CA$38.27

-11.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.17 CA$1.64

4.27%

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

$27.0K CA$37.8K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

-3.27%

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

$21.6K CA$30.2K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

2.63%

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

$165 CA$230

$167 CA$233

-1.18%

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

$33.35 CA$46.60

$38.27 CA$53.5

-12.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.74 CA$69.5

$50.9 CA$71.2

-2.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.01 CA$53.1

$51.0 CA$71.2

-25.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.62 CA$41.39

$18.17 CA$25.39

63.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 CA$14.77

$14.44 CA$20.18

-26.80%

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

$990 CA$1,383

$545 CA$762

81.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K CA$26.4K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

16.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 CA$62.0

$58.9 CA$82.3

-24.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.85 CA$58.5

$39.75 CA$55.6

5.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 CA$98.3

$93.4 CA$130

-24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.2 CA$129

$110 CA$154

-16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 CA$1,394

$1,254 CA$1,752

-20.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$960 CA$1,341

$1,056 CA$1,476

-9.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 CA$2,353

$2,022 CA$2,826

-16.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CA$2,125

$1,629 CA$2,276

-6.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,427 CA$3,392

$3,600 CA$5,031

-32.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,306 CA$3,223

$3,243 CA$4,531

-28.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,661 CA$3,719

$3,115 CA$4,353

-14.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.51

-1.33%

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

Last update for Winnipeg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Winnipeg

$960 46.3%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 10.1% $97

Groceries & Markets

Winnipeg

$337 16.3%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 16.6% $56

Eating Out

Winnipeg

$252 12.2%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 7.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Winnipeg

$248 12%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 3.3% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Winnipeg

$112 5.4%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 21.4% $24

Getting Around

Winnipeg

$103 5%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 7.6% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Winnipeg

$59 2.9%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 35% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $998 in Winnipeg and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 17% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Winnipeg vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $393 per month, with Winnipeg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Winnipeg

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

1 h behind Winnipeg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

663,617

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Winnipeg Calgary 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Winnipeg
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

Winnipeg vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Winnipeg is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Winnipeg. 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: $998 in Winnipeg versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Winnipeg – a meal for two runs $64 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,071 per month in Winnipeg versus $2,303 in Calgary – Winnipeg is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Expats usually find Winnipeg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.