Alberta · 2025
Cost of living in Calgary
No provincial sales tax and higher incomes give Calgary real breathing room, though rents have climbed fast with recent migration into Alberta.
What it costs each month in Calgary
Typical figures for a one-person household. Your own number depends on your housing, habits, and income — that’s what the Cost of Living Score assessment works out.
Fighting Calgary’s rising costs?
HarmonyBudget shows you where your money actually goes each week — no bank login, no spreadsheet — so you can cut the waste local inflation hides. Join early access and get in first.
Free to join. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
How Calgary compares
How this score is calculated
The Cost of Living Score adds up a city’s typical monthly essentials — rent, groceries, transit, and utilities — and compares that total to the average across the Canadian cities we track. A city at the average scores around 50; cheaper cities score higher, pricier ones lower. Higher always means more affordable.
Sources: Rent from CMHC Fall 2024 + Rentals.ca one-bedroom averages; groceries from Canada's Food Price Report 2025; transit is the Calgary Transit adult monthly pass; utilities blend Alberta's deregulated electricity/gas market and CRTC internet pricing — Alberta utility bills are notably variable month to month. Figures are typical city-level estimates for a one-person household, not a personal budget, and shift over time.