Cost of Living in Calgary

I cant afford a car but I really need it in Calgary the bus never comes on time and doesnt run late

Thank you Annonymous who posted on Mar 24, 2022. Now I want to move to Canada even more. I think people are using these comments to bash countries they don't like

Yes the condo prices in Calgary, say in prime downtown, averages around 2000-2500 for 1 or 2 bdrm condo, fair vertical rise.. that is as much as a luxury estate neighborhood in Outer Calgary like Sage, Panorama and such. Downtown is not all that great, its a bit over glorified, like any city. just conveinient for some places.. hard to find parking if u need to go places. and condo fees... headache.

So in summary, the western provinces, espcially Alberta, Calgary, and Edmonton, is like the Texas of the USA. And all those convoy trucks of Convoy freedom 2022, come from Alberta.... What a shame.. Anyways I've said enough, maybe a bit pessimistic, but this is the worst part of Alberta. Yes I am one of those people that made that comment of who puts these comments in here, its me, Sharie :)

To answer Sadeghi, the minimum rent you will find in Calgary is around $600. and that is an average, borderline acceptable place.. It is about the right price for 1 room, and usually it will be shared. Sure you will save money, but you might have to live with strangers and they will likely think the same. The taxes are high in Canada generally, however, there is really no provincial tax.

Hello. I am Iranian. Forty years old and single. I will come to Calgary, Canada next year to work as a carpenter. I have a question. Can I find a place to stay under $ 300 for a single stay in the suburbs? Have a lot and rent it to me at a lower price? Thank you.

Calgary is very car-centric. Things are changing somewhat (despite much political resistance), but it is still currently not easily navigated via transit, bike, or on foot. If you wish to move here without a car, you should make sure to pick a neighbourhood that actually has all the things you need, like walking distance to an LRT, grocery store, etc. These neighbourhoods tend to be more expensive, but that's the trade off you get for not owning and maintaining a vehicle. Even then, it can be pretty tough to live in this city without one.

Calgary's ranking as an 'affordable' city is misleading. A very specific middle-class lifestyle is perhaps more 'affordable' here than in other Canadian cities, but otherwise I'm not really sure what the draw is. The best part about Calgary seems to be its proximity to mountains and hiking trails, meaning the best part of the city is actually driving away from it (which again usually requires a car).

I recently entered data into Calgary. I believe that the "utilities" section is highly misleading (for all cities). Almost all apartments for rent in Alberta have the cost of garbage, water, and heat included in the rent. You usually only pay your own electricity. Therefore, the data that specifies utilities are on average $200 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment in Calgary, is highly misleading. This would be true, if the apartment was owned, but not in the case of renting. As someone who has lived in a new one or two bedroom apartment every year, for over 12 years, on average my renting utility bill (only electric) is about $40.00 a month. I believe this could easily be rectified by adding in another data point to specify what is being paid and in what type of household.

For people wondering if you can live here on minimum wage. Yes.

I make less than $20,000 a year and have lived here all my life. You can get away with more square feet for your money by renting basement suites over apartments. They average $800-$900 and some of them even include utilities, although ours don't. We live in the SW, the most expensive part of the city and we can still get by on less than $20,000. My husband and I only work part time on minimum wage. We also have a dog and 4 Parrotlets. Very hard to find a decent pet friendly place in this area but you have WAY more options if you don't have pets. You can live in more luxurious houses if you go to the cheap areas of the city: NE and NW, but especially NE. Skip the apartments and save more. Don't even think about renting a basement suite that costs more than $1000, they are such a ripoff (unless they include utilities). I've lived in 3 different rentals in the SW:

First one was $700 plus utilities. A 900 square foot basement suite. That was the cheapest one I ever found.

Second one was a whole duplex for $1590 Phys utilities. 1000 square feet. Also on the cheaper end.

Third one, another basement suite, prices rose this year. The cheapest I could find in this area was $900 ($200 more than they were two years ago) but I bargained it down to $875 plus utilities. 800 square feet.

Having a family on minimum wage is hard, but if you have no children it's quite easy. I still have enough money to camp in the summers and do fun events/restaurants once or twice a month.

And shop at Superstore, it's cheap! Skip the Safeway. Buy what's on sale and in bulk and freeze. I actually eat pretty luxuriously though. I buy whatever food I want, excluding the most expensive things like lamb, lobster and prime steak for special events.

All my extra money disappears on my pets, they are the real money suckers lol.

I am baffled by the number of people who continue to call Calgary home. All those years of riding the oil economy have come to an end. City housing prices are falling faster than any other location in Canada and all kinds of businesses are closing. Reminds me of what happened to Houston in the early 1980s but much much worse. My advice to anyone thinking about relocating to Calgary is DON'T. And my advise to those who live there today is to GET OUT. Sell your property for whatever you can get as it will only drop in the months and years ahead.
Too bad really, because Calgary is a beautiful place to live.

Hahahaha the cost fir utilities fir a home is approximately $350 per month ! The$180 is the cost for utilities in 1 bedroom apartment.

The government takes half of your paycheck , very high taxes here so unless you have some side hustle it’s tough

My hubby and I lived on 32000 In 2018 out lowest year in a lo g time ..... we were lucky to find a place to rent for 1000 mth with utilities included for a 1000sqft upper unit in a four plex with a big yard ... we supported 2 young adults on that.... it was very tight to live comfortably..... once u ad in cable internet 2 cell food and food for 2 weiner dogs.... but we made it threw .

The challenge with Calgary is the government that'sin office .....
And striped alberta of jobs and any an all extra financial gains we had ..... to suport there frivolous spending for easterner provinces that really relied on its province to cover there way.... and enable people to not work or be able to fully suport them self .....

Alberta and its people are very self reliant and in many ways very redneck farming mantality
If you dont have this you will.find calgary and many other places in alberta challenging
To live as out siders find many rude and not friendly but in àll honesty we are quite friendly . As for the people here that are from other war torn countries... many of them have brought there religious issue and criminal ways and has made calgary crap.

We use to beable to allow are kids play freely... now we are unable because it have become unsafe ....

Is it really going that bad in Calgary? Just to give you an idea of other places in the world. I live in the capital of an Eastern Europe country and I've got a pretty good income of 920 CAD after taxes (i'll translate in CAD our currency) there, it's above average. And here are the costs for 2 adults and 1-year old baby:
380 CAD for a 2bd apartment
120 CAD Utilities
40 CAD 2 cellphones and internet
80-100 CAD gas and car maintenance
250 CAD groceries
100 CAD clothing
no leisure, no holidays, no entertainment, no restaurants, no savings...barely make ends meet

is it kinda the same in Canada?