Cost of Living Comparison
Vancouver vs Calgary
A side-by-side look at what it actually costs to live in Vancouver compared to Calgary — housing, salary, tax, and family-of-living metrics powered by FuturePath City Intelligence.
Moving from
Vancouver
British Columbia · Canada
69FuturePath Score
Pacific gateway with strong tech and film industries; among the least affordable housing in Canada.
Moving to
Calgary
Alberta · Canada
82FuturePath Score
Alberta advantage: no provincial sales tax, strong energy + tech, and surging inbound migration.
Metric
Vancouver
Calgary
Change
Median rent (monthly)
CA$2,900
CA$1,750
-39.7%
Median home price
CA$1M
CA$590K
-52.8%
Median salary
CA$74,000
CA$82,000
+10.8%
Effective tax rate
34.0%
28.0%
-6.0 pts
Childcare (monthly)
CA$1,750
CA$1,450
-17.1%
Mortgage burden
52.0%
30.0%
-22.0 pts
Cost-of-living score
38
68
+30
Overall score
69
82
+13
Migration momentum
80
88
+8
The quick take
Calgary scores higher overall (+13).
- Rent: -39.7% vs Vancouver
- Salary: +10.8% vs Vancouver
- Cost-of-living score: +30 (higher = more affordable)
Should you make the move?
These numbers are city-wide averages. FuturePath simulates your income, savings, household, and career path against both cities to score affordability, life readiness, and decision confidence.
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