Living in Calgary

In Calgary, unemployment is 12.5% (2021).

22.9% of renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing in May 2021. The unemployment rate was 12.5% in May 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-1920 sources

Population1,413,800people1 Jul 2022Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary3,949EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada

Unemployment rate12.5%country median 8.4% — 49% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population

Recorded crime4,796offences per 100,000country median 4,873 — 2% belowIndependent source · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024

PM2.5, annual mean10.07µg/m³country median 3.6 — 177% aboveOfficial source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.

Higher unemployment than 87% of Canadian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 90% of Canadian cities that publish it.

Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Calgary?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in CanadaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Calgary.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month5 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€714

Utilities, 85 m² flat€161

Internet, 60 Mbps€50

Fitness club€44

Mobile plan, 10 GB€34

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	44.17 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Grocery basket, monthly	89.28 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	50.01 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	714.1 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	18.54 eur	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	34.17 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Calgary. Jul 2026. Prices in Calgary¹⁸Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	161.4 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Households spending over 30% of income on rent	22.9 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Dwellings	531,062 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁸Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)	1,172 EUR/month	31 Oct 2023	CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023²Official

Is Calgary a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker43%strong on work, weak on safety · range 35–51%

Skilled employee55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–63%

Student37%strong on education, weak on work · range 30–44%

Family45%strong on family, weak on cost · range 37–53%

Retirement25%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 15–35%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Calgary?

The median gross salary is about 3,949 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

Median gross salary: 3,949 EUR/month · Statistics Canada¹⁰
Median gross salary (regional): 2,832 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁷

What is the unemployment rate in Calgary?

The unemployment rate is 12.5 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Calgary is 12.5%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

125

108

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–1818–2020–22

Calgary 12.5%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary	3,949 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,832 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁷Official
Average net monthly salary	2,789 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/ca/calgary/¹⁹Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate	12.5 %country median 8.4%	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Calgary. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service

Government of Canada

Job SearchMigrant Support

Open official service

Open the Canada service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Calgary. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Calgary?

Police recorded 4,796 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 4,796 offences per 100,000 · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024²⁰

Recorded crime across major citiesCalgary highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Winnipeg7,894

Edmonton7,108

Halifax6,020

Vancouver5,438

Calgary4,796

London4,743

Québec4,630

Ottawa4,298

Hamilton4,257

Toronto4,177

Gatineau3,756

Montreal3,674

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,796 offences per 100,000country median 4,873	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024²⁰Independent

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Workers commuting by bicycle	0.9 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Workers commuting by public transport	8.8 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Workers walking to work	4.2 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Destinations from nearest airport	59 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat⁶Official
Nearest airport	YYC	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁷Official
Distance to nearest airport	9.3 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁷Official
Public transport monthly pass	77.87 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Calgary. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For newcomers to Canada.

English, FrenchFree

Open official information

Open the full Canada section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Calgary.

Find courses near Calgary

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were −7.6°C in January and 16.9°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 10 mm in January and 65.7 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 10.1 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Calgary?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10.1 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 10.07 µg/m³ · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.⁴

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

-2°-13°

0°-12°

4°-8°

11°-2°

16°3°

20°8°

23°10°

23°9°

18°5°

11°-1°

4°-7°

0°-12°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

113

JFMAMJJASOND

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.510.1WHO 5 · EU 25

NO₂14.4WHO 10 · EU 40

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaAnnual PM2.5 in Calgary is 10.1 µg/m³. Of 123 cities with data, 46 have annual PM2.5 of 3 to under 4 µg/m³.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1010–1113–1415–1616–1717–1820–2140–41

Calgary 10.1

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	14.4 µg/m³country median 7.0	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.⁵Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	10.07 µg/m³country median 3.6	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.⁴Official
Annual mean temperature (modelled)	3.62 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Annual precipitation (modelled)	547.9 mm/year	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January mean temperature (modelled)	-7.2 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January minimum temperature (modelled)	-34.56 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July maximum temperature (modelled)	35.08 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July mean temperature (modelled)	16.76 °C	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Daily precipitation rate (modelled)	1.5 mm/day	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Solar exposure (modelled)	3.51 kWh/m²/day	2001-2020	NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology³Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Average daytime high by month	Jan -1.5 · Feb 0.1 · Mar 3.8 · Apr 10.8 · May 16.4 · Jun 19.7 · Jul 23.5 · Aug 23.1 · Sep 18.3 · Oct 11.1 · Nov 4.1 · Dec -0.4 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — CALGARY INTL A, 1991-2020¹Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan -13.5 · Feb -11.8 · Mar -8.1 · Apr -1.9 · May 3.4 · Jun 7.7 · Jul 10.2 · Aug 9.2 · Sep 4.7 · Oct -1.3 · Nov -7.5 · Dec -12.1 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — CALGARY INTL A, 1991-2020¹Official
Average temperature by month	Jan -7.6 · Feb -5.9 · Mar -2.2 · Apr 4.5 · May 9.9 · Jun 13.7 · Jul 16.9 · Aug 16.2 · Sep 11.5 · Oct 4.9 · Nov -1.7 · Dec -6.3 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — CALGARY INTL A, 1991-2020¹Official
Average precipitation by month	Jan 10 · Feb 11.8 · Mar 17.7 · Apr 29.6 · May 61.1 · Jun 112.7 · Jul 65.7 · Aug 53.8 · Sep 37.1 · Oct 17.1 · Nov 16.3 · Dec 12.5 mm	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — CALGARY INTL A, 1991-2020¹Official

Population and city profile

The city covered 825.3 km² in 2021. Population density was 1,592.4 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Calgary?

The published population was 1,413,800 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada⁹

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 160,225 is not 33.3% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport88.7%
Foreign residents11.3%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	825.3 km²	2021	Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Calgary, CSD 4806016)¹³Official
Foreign-resident share	33.34 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Foreign residents	160,225 people	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status.¹⁴Official
Population density	1,592 people/km²	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation.¹⁴Official
Population	1,413,800 people	1 Jul 2022	Statistics Canada⁹Official

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	36.5 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	35.7 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree¹⁶Official
Median age	38 years	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹²Official

Alternatives for people set on Calgary

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Toronto as a Calgary alternative in the same country

Better on 5 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Annual PM2.5: 3.6 µg/m³ Toronto vs 10.1 µg/m³ Calgary−64%
Residents: 3,025,647 Toronto vs 1,413,800 Calgary+114%
Nearest airport: 3.0 km Toronto vs 9.3 km Calgary−68%
Foreign residents: 46.6% Toronto vs 33.3% Calgary+40%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,177 Toronto vs 4,796 Calgary−13%
Unemployment: 13.9% Toronto vs 12.5% Calgary+11%
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €122 Toronto vs €161 Calgary−24%

Full comparison More about Toronto

Valencia as a Calgary alternative in another country

Better on 3 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Median gross pay, region and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Median gross pay, region: €1,888 (2024) Valencia vs €2,832 (2020) Calgaryno percentage
Transport pass: €35 Valencia vs €78 Calgary−55%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,592 Valencia vs 4,796 Calgaryno percentage
A meal out: €15 Valencia vs €19 Calgary−19%
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €140 Valencia vs €161 Calgary−13%
Nearest airport: 9.2 km Valencia vs 9.3 km Calgarysame level

Full comparison More about Valencia

Alternative cities in Canada

Other cities in Canada to compare with Calgary, nearest in population first.

All Canada cities

Montreal1,791,508 residents Ottawa1,071,868 residents Edmonton1,010,899 residents Winnipeg749,607 residents Mississauga717,961 residents Vancouver706,012 residents

How does Calgary compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Calgary's.

Open the full comparison

Calgary in rankings

#3 of 30 in Largest cities in Canada #3 of 30 in Major cities with the coldest modelled January mean #7 of 30 in Major cities with the lowest modelled annual precipitation #8 of 30 in Most international cities in Canada #23 of 30 in Major cities with the highest modelled solar exposure #28 of 30 in Major cities with the lowest modelled solar exposure

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Calgary when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Calgary's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Calgary?

The published population was 1,413,800 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Calgary?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10.1 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate..

How safe is Calgary?

Police recorded 4,796 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024.

What is the typical salary in Calgary?

The median gross salary is about 3,949 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the unemployment rate in Calgary?

The unemployment rate is 12.5 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population.

What is the typical salary around Calgary?

The median gross salary is 2,832 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

Is Calgary a good place to live?

Calgary may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 25). Calgary, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 96901db80c59641e5a01f444b2ff7a23]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/calgary/ Retrieved 2026-10-25. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_calgary-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_9425eeb492ab,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Calgary, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-25},
  version = {96901db80c59641e5a01f444b2ff7a23},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/calgary/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-25. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Calgary, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/calgary/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 96901db80c59641e5a01f444b2ff7a23; retrieved 2026-10-25; built 2026-10-25.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Canadian Climate Normals — CALGARY INTL A, 1991-2020 Canadian Climate Normals · climate.weather.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023 CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey · assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-18
NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology NASA POWER · power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-10-25
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-13

Show 10 more sources

Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Calgary, CSD 4806016) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status. api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2021-05-11
Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03
Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/ca/calgary/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05
Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024 Statistics Canada · www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.