Cost of living comparison
compared to
Nanaimo vs. Calgary Cost of Living Summary
Nanaimo is 4.4% cheaper than Calgary.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.0% more in Nanaimo
- Groceries
-
pay 7.0% more in Nanaimo
- Transportation
-
pay 0.3% more in Nanaimo
- Housing
-
pay 7.4% less in Nanaimo
- Childcare
-
pay 17.1% less in Nanaimo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.0% less in Nanaimo
- Clothing
-
pay 13.8% less in Nanaimo
The cost of restaurants, groceries, and transportation in Nanaimo are more expensive than in Calgary. Expenses including childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, and housing are lower in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo vs. Calgary Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Nanaimo instead of Calgary, you would:
pay 12.0% more for restaurants
|
Calgary
|
Nanaimo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.93
CA$24.71
|
$17.94
CA$24.72
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.76
CA$14.82
|
$12.92
CA$17.80
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$2.42
CA$3.33
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.81
CA$2.50
|
$1.94
CA$2.67
|
|
Calgary vs. Nanaimo - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.0% more for groceries
|
Calgary
|
Nanaimo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.59
CA$3.56
|
$3.26
CA$4.50
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.65
CA$9.17
|
$5.76
CA$7.94
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.48
CA$10.31
|
$7.11
CA$9.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.32
CA$4.58
|
$3.88
CA$5.35
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
CA$7.56
|
$7.00
CA$9.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
CA$2.70
|
$1.95
CA$2.68
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
CA$0.82
|
$0.62
CA$0.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.68
CA$2.31
|
$1.54
CA$2.12
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
CA$2.66
|
$2.01
CA$2.78
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$1.31
CA$1.81
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.17
CA$1.61
|
$1.25
CA$1.72
|
|
Calgary vs. Nanaimo - Cost of groceries
pay 0.3% more for transportation
|
Calgary
|
Nanaimo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.86
CA$5.31
|
$4.76
CA$6.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$84.63
CA$116.62
|
$46.64
CA$64.27
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,377.72
CA$33,591.28
|
$24,382.26
CA$33,597.54
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.06
CA$20.75
|
$18.45
CA$25.42
|
|
Calgary vs. Nanaimo - Cost of transportation
pay 7.4% less for housing
|
Calgary
|
Nanaimo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$60.12
CA$82.84
|
$66.83
CA$92.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,357.18
CA$1,870.13
|
$1,302.43
CA$1,794.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,117.74
CA$1,540.19
|
$1,140.97
CA$1,572.20
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$152.41
CA$210.02
|
$93.10
CA$128.29
|
|
Calgary vs. Nanaimo - Cost of housing
pay 17.1% less for childcare
|
Calgary
|
Nanaimo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$841.37
CA$1,159.36
|
$765.43
CA$1,054.72
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,659.39
CA$21,577.85
|
$11,720.63
CA$16,150.44
|
|
Calgary vs. Nanaimo - Cost of childcare
pay 12.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Calgary
|
Nanaimo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.71
CA$5.12
|
$4.02
CA$5.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.34
CA$19.77
|
$13.20
CA$18.19
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.34
CA$69.37
|
$25.83
CA$35.59
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.19
CA$16.80
|
$10.76
CA$14.83
|
|
Calgary vs. Nanaimo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.8% less for clothing
|
Calgary
|
Nanaimo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.07
CA$77.27
|
$35.88
CA$49.44
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.74
CA$61.65
|
$33.49
CA$46.14
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.53
CA$120.61
|
$96.87
CA$133.49
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.71
CA$142.91
|
$98.67
CA$135.96
|
|
Calgary vs. Nanaimo - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Nanaimo or Calgary. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.