Cost of Living in Calgary

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?

$4000 a month ha ha is that a joke ? Maybe around $3000 after taxes if you are lucky , economy is bad , high unemployment , Canadian loonie has very low value compare to euro or u.s dollar , people are awful here so fake , if you coming from Eastern Europe you will hate it hate its boring here and fake people , the only good thing here are the shopping malls nothing else .

It's only September 15th. Calgary is already nearing zero (C)! WTF LOL!

For reference, Toronto +23, Chicago +21, Boston +18, New York +22

Oh how glaaaad i am got out that frozen deadland hellhole called Alberta YUCKKK!!!

Chris, try living in BC. Everything is way more expensive and people are even less friendly. My husband and I moved out there to a smaller city (10th the size) for a more friendly, community feel and on top of paying so much more for everything and making so much less (average wage for my profession was $13-15 where as it's $20+ in Calgary), people completely ignore you, scowl at you, yell at you, threaten to beat you up, simply because you went to the coffee shop they don't like or happen to be walking down the wrong side of the street. And people forgetting how to drive when it snows happens everywhere. At least, everywhere in Western Canada. I'm assuming you moved to YYC from the east coast, since you think everyone here is so unfriendly and its all so expensive. Just thank god you didn't go to BC.

Despite my numerous health problems lol Gin ya nailed it. Calgary has the highest MS rate in the world. Everything is backwards here,the people are dim witted and lazy. Calgary is a rascist city run by chubby flat footed inbred rascists. You are probably benefiting from govt hand outs Gin.I would bet my ass on it. I don't know any Calgarians who would survive in the real world.

Calgary is a joke. Stay Away. Half a million dollars for a shit home, $50 for one bag of groceries, a handful of grapes is $8. It's cold, from Sept-April you have to deal with snow, cold weather, horrible road conditions, massive transit delays, accidents everywhere every time it snows people seem to have completely forgotten how to drive.

Insurance is nuts. Crime is on the rise. Police are scary/mean/abusive/racist. People are far less friendly and most will just ignore you now. You are crammed into over packed trains/bus's like sardines, never mind a seat. There is some new carbon tax so all things energy is now even more expensive, gas, electric bill, rent.

Massive layoff's, low pay, and huge increase in cost of living = Failing City

The biggest problem is the housing, it has gotten out of control, if you are of Gen X or lower you won't be able to pay off a mortgage in your lifetime, let alone get approved for a $500,000+ loan.

Years ago this was a wonderful friendly rich place with affordable housing, plenty of work, lots of money (oil), cheap groceries, cheap gas, a helpful cheerful community feeling that is now replaced with that big city coldness.