Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yellowknife and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,916 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
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Yellowknife Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,916

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,916 in Yellowknife versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Yellowknife $2,916
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,085 in Yellowknife versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Yellowknife $4,085
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,255 in Yellowknife versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Yellowknife $5,255
Calgary $4,379

Living in Yellowknife is roughly 31% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Yellowknife 116% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 CA$27.31

$17.22 CA$24.34

12.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 CA$121

$71.1 CA$100

19.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.63 CA$12.19

$10.53 CA$14.89

-18.04%

Cappuccino

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.66 CA$5.18

15.30%

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

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.98 CA$2.80

14.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.93

$1.94 CA$2.74

6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 CA$8.65

$4.95 CA$7.00

23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.74

$5.57 CA$7.87

23.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$1.88 CA$2.65

50.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$2.67 CA$3.78

-0.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 CA$6.57

$5.32 CA$7.52

-12.59%

Eggs

$3.26 CA$4.60

$3.79 CA$5.35

-13.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.93 CA$9.80

$11.09 CA$15.68

-37.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.17 CA$22.86

$11.36 CA$16.05

42.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 CA$21.67

$18.40 CA$26.01

-16.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 CA$6.80

$4.56 CA$6.45

5.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.04

$1.44 CA$2.04

0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 CA$7.15

$4.08 CA$5.76

23.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.14 CA$10.10

$3.89 CA$5.50

83.55%

Potato (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.08

$2.64 CA$3.73

62.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.08

$2.64 CA$3.73

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.43 CA$4.84

$2.50 CA$3.54

37.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CA$1.48

$1.50 CA$2.12

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.03 CA$24.08

$14.05 CA$19.86

21.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 CA$19.55

$15.70 CA$22.20

-11.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.09 CA$5.78

$2.44 CA$3.45

67.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 CA$8.68

$3.09 CA$4.37

98.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$2.82 CA$3.99

-24.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$88.6 CA$125

-41.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.12 CA$4.41

-1.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.35 CA$1.91

1.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.16 CA$1.64

11.21%

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

$23.4K CA$33.1K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-16.04%

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

$18.7K CA$26.5K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

-7.95%

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

$354 CA$501

$161 CA$227

120.47%

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

$56.9 CA$80.4

$38.13 CA$53.9

49.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.5 CA$138

$50.0 CA$70.7

94.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.3 CA$102

$51.5 CA$72.8

40.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 CA$13.70

$13.82 CA$19.54

-29.88%

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

$575 CA$813

$786 CA$1,111

-26.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 CA$89.9

$58.3 CA$82.4

9.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 CA$48.61

$39.27 CA$55.5

-12.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 CA$140

$89.8 CA$127

10.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$161

$110 CA$155

3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 CA$1,991

$1,229 CA$1,737

14.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 CA$1,955

$1,001 CA$1,415

38.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 CA$2,969

$1,921 CA$2,716

9.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 CA$2,898

$1,621 CA$2,292

26.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,983 CA$4,217

$3,549 CA$5,018

-15.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,765 CA$3,909

$3,335 CA$4,715

-17.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,903 CA$5,518

$3,165 CA$4,474

23.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

4.51

17.96%

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

Last update for Yellowknife: 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

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.4%

Calgary

$1K 45% 27.6% $382

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yellowknife

$509 17.5%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 51.1% $260

Groceries & Markets

Yellowknife

$429 14.7%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 10.3% $44

Eating Out

Yellowknife

$293 10%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 9.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Yellowknife

$140 4.8%

Calgary

$134 6% 4.3% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Yellowknife

$92 3.2%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 13.7% $13

Getting Around

Yellowknife

$70 2.4%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 56.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,408 in Yellowknife and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yellowknife pays 23% 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: $85.0 in Yellowknife vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $429 vs $385 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

Same time as Yellowknife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,234

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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Yellowknife Calgary 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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

Yellowknife vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Yellowknife, 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: $1,408 in Yellowknife 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 $85.0 in Yellowknife. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,916 per month in Yellowknife versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,916 in Yellowknife, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Yellowknife. 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 31% less than in Yellowknife. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.