Is Calgary or Edmonton cheaper to live in?

Edmonton is generally 5-10% cheaper than Calgary, particularly for housing. Edmonton has lower home prices, lower rent, and slightly lower overall costs. Calgary has higher salaries that may offset the cost difference.

What are the average salaries in Calgary vs Edmonton?

Calgary averages around $70,000-$75,000 annually, while Edmonton averages $65,000-$70,000. Calgary's energy sector tends to pay higher salaries, especially in oil & gas and corporate roles.

Which city has better job opportunities, Calgary or Edmonton?

Calgary has more corporate headquarters and energy sector jobs with higher salaries. Edmonton has more government and public sector jobs (provincial capital), plus a growing tech and healthcare sector.

Calgary vs Edmonton Cost of Living 2026

Quick Comparison

Overall Cost Snapshot

Category	Calgary	Edmonton	Winner
Housing	$$$	$$	Edmonton
Rent	$$$	$$	Edmonton
Groceries	$$	$$	Tie
Transportation	$$	$$	Tie
Entertainment	$$$	$$	Edmonton
Income tax	$	$	Tie (same)

Overall Verdict

Factor
Cheaper	Edmonton (5-10%)
Higher income	Calgary
Net difference	Close

Housing Costs

Home Prices (2025-2026)

Property Type	Calgary	Edmonton
Detached house	$675,000	$475,000
Townhouse	$425,000	$325,000
Condo	$325,000	$225,000
Average	$575,000	$425,000

Price Difference

Metric	Calgary	Edmonton
Avg home price	~$575,000	~$425,000
Difference		~26% cheaper

Neighborhoods Compared

Calgary Area	Avg Price	Edmonton Area	Avg Price
Downtown	$400,000	Downtown	$275,000
NW (Varsity)	$650,000	West End	$425,000
SW (Marda Loop)	$700,000	Glenora	$550,000
SE (Auburn Bay)	$550,000	Windermere	$650,000

Property Taxes

City	Rate	On $500K Home
Calgary	~0.7%	~$3,500
Edmonton	~0.9%	~$4,500
Difference		Edmonton higher

Rent Comparison

Monthly Rent (2025-2026)

Unit Type	Calgary	Edmonton
1-BR downtown	$1,700	$1,400
2-BR downtown	$2,200	$1,800
1-BR suburban	$1,400	$1,200
2-BR suburban	$1,700	$1,450

Vacancy Rates

City	Vacancy Rate
Calgary	~3%
Edmonton	~4.5%
Impact	More options in Edmonton

Income & Jobs

Average Salaries by Sector

Sector	Calgary	Edmonton
Oil & Gas	$110,000	$100,000
Tech	$90,000	$85,000
Healthcare	$75,000	$75,000
Government	$70,000	$72,000
Retail	$38,000	$36,000

Major Employers

Calgary	Edmonton
Energy HQs	Provincial government
Banks (regional)	University of Alberta
Tech companies	Health services
WestJet	Northern gateway

Take-Home Pay (Same Tax)

Gross Income	Net Income
$60,000	$47,500
$80,000	$61,200
$100,000	$74,300

Alberta has no provincial sales tax and lower income taxes than most provinces.

Transportation

Public Transit

Factor	Calgary Transit	ETS (Edmonton)
Monthly pass	$112	$100
Technology	CTrain + buses	LRT + buses
Coverage	Good	Good
Quality	Good	Good

Car Ownership

Cost	Calgary	Edmonton
Gas (per litre)	$1.35-$1.50	$1.30-$1.45
Insurance (annual)	$1,500-$2,200	$1,400-$2,000
Parking (downtown)	$250-$400/mo	$200-$350/mo

Commute Times

Factor	Calgary	Edmonton
Avg commute	27 minutes	25 minutes
Traffic	Moderate	Moderate

Groceries & Food

Monthly Grocery Costs

Item	Calgary	Edmonton
Milk (4L)	$6.00	$6.00
Bread (loaf)	$3.25	$3.25
Eggs (dozen)	$4.00	$4.00
Chicken (kg)	$13.00	$13.00
Beef (kg)	$18.00	$17.00

Monthly Budget	Calgary	Edmonton
Single person	$325-$400	$310-$385
Couple	$550-$700	$525-$675
Family of 4	$950-$1,200	$900-$1,150

Dining Out

Factor	Calgary	Edmonton
Cheap meal	$14-$18	$13-$17
Mid-range (2 people)	$75-$100	$65-$90
Coffee (latte)	$5.00	$4.75
Beer (pint)	$7-$9	$6-$8

Utilities

Monthly Costs

Utility	Calgary	Edmonton
Electricity	$100-$150	$100-$150
Natural gas/heating	$100-$180	$110-$190
Internet	$70-$100	$70-$100
Mobile	$50-$80	$50-$80

Total Utilities

Monthly	Calgary	Edmonton
Average	$320-$510	$330-$520

Entertainment & Lifestyle

Activities Cost

Activity	Calgary	Edmonton
Movie ticket	$15	$14
Gym membership	$50-$70	$40-$60
Ski day pass	$100-$140	$55-$80
Flames ticket	$100-$300	-
Oilers ticket	-	$80-$250

Lifestyle Comparison

Factor	Calgary	Edmonton
Mountains	1 hour	3.5 hours
Winter events	Good	Excellent (festivals)
Summer festivals	Stampede	K-Days, Fringe
Nightlife	Good	Good
Restaurants	Very good	Good

Climate

Weather Comparison

Factor	Calgary	Edmonton
Winter avg temp	-7°C	-11°C
Summer avg temp	17°C	17°C
Chinooks	Yes (milder winters)	Rare
Sunny days	333/year	321/year

Winter Costs Impact

Factor
Heating	Edmonton slightly higher
Winter tires	Both required
Snow removal	Both needed

Childcare & Education

Daycare Costs

Type	Calgary	Edmonton
Infant (monthly)	$1,200-$1,500	$1,100-$1,400
Toddler (monthly)	$1,000-$1,300	$950-$1,200
With $10/day subsidy	~$200	~$200

Post-Secondary

Institution	Tuition (annual)
University of Calgary	$6,500
University of Alberta (Edmonton)	$6,300
Mount Royal (Calgary)	$5,800
MacEwan (Edmonton)	$5,500

Budget Comparison

Single Person Monthly Budget

Expense	Calgary	Edmonton
Rent (1-BR)	$1,600	$1,350
Utilities	$120	$130
Transit	$112	$100
Groceries	$360	$340
Dining out	$200	$175
Phone/internet	$130	$130
Entertainment	$200	$175
Other	$250	$225
Total	$2,972	$2,625

Savings Potential

At $70K salary	Calgary	Edmonton
Net income	$53,900	$53,900
Expenses	$35,664	$31,500
Annual savings	$18,236	$22,400

Family of 4 Monthly Budget

Expense	Calgary	Edmonton
Rent (3-BR)	$2,400	$2,000
Utilities	$250	$270
Car	$600	$550
Groceries	$1,100	$1,000
Childcare	$1,200	$1,100
Other	$800	$750
Total	$6,350	$5,670

Who Should Choose Which City?

Choose Calgary If:

Factor
Career	Energy/oil & gas
Lifestyle	Love mountains, skiing
Prefer	Corporate environment
Value	Higher income potential

Choose Edmonton If:

Factor
Career	Government, healthcare, education
Priority	Lower cost of living
Family	More affordable housing
Prefer	Arts and festivals scene

Moving Considerations

Job Market

Factor	Calgary	Edmonton
Oil & gas jobs	More	Less
Government jobs	Less	More
Tech growth	Strong	Growing
Economic volatility	Higher	Lower

Real Estate Investment

Factor	Calgary	Edmonton
Price growth	Higher	Moderate
Affordability	Moderate	Better
Rental demand	Strong	Strong