Cost of Living Comparison
Calgary vs. Your City — See the Real Financial Difference
Select your current city below. The tool instantly calculates real differences in home prices, taxes, rent, and quality of life — so you can see exactly what a move to Calgary means for your family's finances.
Select your current city
All figures in CAD. Mortgage assumes 20% down, 4.25% 5-year fixed rate, 25-year amortization, Canadian semi-annual compounding. Home prices are CREA/board benchmarks (July 2026); tax figures use current provincial rates.
Home Prices
Detached benchmark — July 2026 CREA/board data
Your City
Toronto
$1,360,000
Detached benchmark
→
Save $670K
buying in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary
$743,900
Detached benchmark
Monthly Mortgage Payment
20% down · 4.25% · 25yr · semi-annual compounding
Your City
Toronto
$5,872
Per month · 80% financed
→
$3,018/mo
less in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary
$3,240
Per month · 80% financed
Land Transfer Tax
One-time cost on home purchase at benchmark price
Your City
Toronto
$49,950
Provincial + municipal LTT
→
Save $49,950
zero LTT in Alberta
Calgary
Calgary
$0
Alberta has no land transfer tax
Provincial Income Tax
Household income $150,000 — current provincial rates
Your City
Toronto
$22,800
Ontario provincial tax/year
→
Save $5,700/yr
in provincial tax
Calgary
Calgary
$17,100
Alberta provincial tax/year
Sales Tax
Annual savings on $50,000 taxable spending
Your City
Toronto
13% HST
$6,500/yr on $50K spending
→
Save $4,000/yr
on $50K spending
Calgary
Calgary
5% GST
$2,500/yr on $50K spending
Average 1-Bedroom Rent
Typical market rent — 2025 Rentals.ca data
Your City
Toronto
$2,150
Per month
→
Save $600/mo
renting in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary
$1,595
Per month
Sunshine Hours / Year
Quality of life — Environment Canada data
Your City
Toronto
2,066
Hours of sunshine per year
→
+339 hrs
more sunshine
Calgary
Calgary
2,405
Sunniest major city in Canada ☀️ #1
Your Potential Savings
Moving from Toronto to Calgary, a family earning $150K/year could save approximately $9,700 – $15,700 per year and save $670,000 on their home purchase.
Annual savings include: income tax difference, sales tax savings, and monthly mortgage payment difference × 12. Land transfer tax amortized over 5 years is included in the upper estimate.
$9,700
Min. annual savings
$15,700
Max. annual savings
$670,000
Home price saving
$49,950
LTT saving on purchase
Ready to Make the Move?
I help families relocating from Toronto, Vancouver, and across Canada find the right home in Calgary — with the numbers, neighbourhood knowledge, and honesty to make the decision easy.
Common Questions
Alberta Taxes & Real Estate — Answered
Does Alberta really have no land transfer tax?
Yes. Alberta is one of the only provinces in Canada with no provincial land transfer tax. When you buy a home in Calgary, the tax is $0. Compare this to Ontario where buyers pay a provincial LTT plus Toronto buyers pay an additional municipal LTT — on a $1.29M Toronto home that totals nearly $50,000. In BC on a $1.89M Vancouver home the provincial LTT is approximately $35,800. The Alberta land transfer tax saving alone is one of the most compelling financial reasons to buy in Calgary.
How much lower are Alberta income taxes vs. Ontario or BC?
For a household earning $150,000/year, Alberta provincial income tax is approximately $17,100. Ontario's is approximately $22,800 (saving ~$5,700/yr), BC's is approximately $21,200 (saving ~$4,100/yr), and Quebec's is approximately $31,500 (saving ~$14,400/yr). Alberta has no provincial flat tax and relatively low bracket rates. Over a 10-year period, the income tax saving vs. Ontario is over $57,000 — before accounting for sales tax and LTT savings.
Is moving from Vancouver to Calgary a good financial decision?
For most households, yes. Vancouver's detached benchmark is approximately $1,822,900 vs Calgary's $743,900, about a $1.08M price difference. If you sell a Vancouver home and buy in Calgary, the equity released can be transformative. Ongoing savings include lower provincial income tax (~$4,100/yr), sales tax savings (~$3,500/yr on $50K spending), and a monthly mortgage payment roughly $5,800 lower on a typical detached home. BC also has a 12% combined sales tax vs Alberta's 5% GST-only. The main consideration is whether your employment situation supports the move.
How does Calgary compare to Edmonton — are they the same?
Both Edmonton and Calgary are in Alberta, so the tax environment is identical — no LTT, 5% GST, and the same provincial income tax. Edmonton's detached benchmark is approximately $527,000 (RAE, July 2026) vs Calgary's $743,900, making Edmonton cheaper for purchase. However, Calgary has a stronger and more diversified economy (energy, finance, tech), slightly higher average incomes, more direct flights, and the sunniest weather of any major Canadian city at 2,405 hours/year vs Edmonton's 2,299. Lifestyle, community, and job market typically drive the Edmonton vs. Calgary choice more than taxes.
Is Calgary a good city to move to from Montreal or Quebec?
From a pure financial standpoint, Quebec to Alberta is the single largest provincial tax reduction available in Canada. Quebec's provincial income tax on $150K household income is approximately $31,500 — saving $14,400/year by moving to Alberta. Combined TVQ + GST in Quebec is 14.975% vs 5% GST in Alberta — saving nearly $5,000/year on $50K in spending. Montreal's single-family median (about $649,000) is below Calgary's detached benchmark ($743,900), so the home price difference is modest, but the cumulative tax savings over 5–10 years are enormous. Calgary also has a large and growing Francophone community.
Disclaimer & Methodology: All figures are estimates for illustrative purposes only. Home prices are approximate benchmark figures based on publicly available CREA/board data for July 2026. Mortgage calculations use Canadian semi-annual compounding convention, 4.25% five-year fixed rate, 25-year amortization, 20% down payment. Home prices are approximate CREA/board benchmark figures for July 2026. Tax figures are estimates based on current provincial tax rates and are not professional tax advice. Land transfer tax calculations use published provincial/municipal rate schedules and are approximate. Sunshine hours from Environment Canada historical data. Consult a qualified accountant, mortgage broker, and real estate professional before making any financial decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what people ask me most about this. Still stuck? Send me the question directly.
No. Alberta has no provincial land transfer tax. When you buy a home in Calgary, you pay $0 in land transfer tax. Compare this to Toronto where a buyer pays both Ontario provincial LTT and a Toronto municipal LTT — on a $1,360,000 home that totals roughly $47,350. In Vancouver the BC land transfer tax on an $1,822,900 home is approximately $34,458. The Alberta land transfer tax saving is one of the most significant financial advantages of buying in Calgary.
For a household earning $150,000, Alberta's provincial income tax is approximately $17,100 per year. Ontario's provincial tax on the same income is approximately $22,800 — a saving of roughly $5,700 per year. Over a decade that is more than $57,000 in tax savings from the provincial income tax difference alone, before accounting for the lower sales tax (5% GST only vs 13% HST in Ontario) and the absence of land transfer tax.
The Calgary detached home benchmark is approximately $743,900 (CREB, July 2026). Toronto's detached homes average around $1,360,000, a difference of roughly $610,000. With a 20% down payment and a 4.25% five-year fixed rate over 25 years, the monthly mortgage payment in Toronto is approximately $5,872 versus $3,240 in Calgary, a saving of roughly $2,630 per month, or about $31,600 per year.
Yes, significantly. Vancouver's detached home benchmark is approximately $1,822,900 (July 2026) vs Calgary's $743,900, a difference of about $1,079,000. BC has a 12% combined sales tax on most goods (Calgary has 5% GST only). On provincial income tax the two are close at a $150K household income — Alberta's advantage sits at higher incomes, not middle ones. Vancouver renters also pay around $2,392/month for a 1-bedroom versus about $1,595 in Calgary. Combined, the annual cost savings of living in Calgary vs Vancouver for a homeowning family are substantial.
Moving from Montreal to Calgary offers major tax savings. Quebec has the highest provincial income tax of any major Canadian province — approximately $31,500 on a $150,000 household income versus $17,100 in Alberta, saving $14,400 per year. Quebec also has a 14.975% combined sales tax rate (TVQ + GST) vs 5% GST in Alberta — on $50,000 in annual spending that saves approximately $4,988 per year. Montreal's single-family median (about $649,000) is below Calgary's detached benchmark ($743,900), and the Alberta tax savings add to the difference.