Cost of living in Calgary

[Inferno]

I'm currently job hunting for a graphic design job in Calgary and I'm just wondering what salary would a single guy need to live comfortably in Calgary? I'm not expecting to live in a fancy apartment but I also dont want to live in a dump. I've seen positions that are offering $15 an hour which is good here in The Pas but I suspect in Calgary I would just be gettng by. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Inferno

I'm currently job hunting for a graphic design job in Calgary and I'm just wondering what salary would a single guy need to live comfortably in Calgary? I'm not expecting to live in a fancy apartment but I also dont want to live in a dump. I've seen positions that are offering $15 an hour which is good here in The Pas but I suspect in Calgary I would just be gettng by. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Isn't that about $2400.00 a month before taxes, which would be about 1900 a month after taxes.

Thats tough. An average apartment in this city I think is around $900.00 a month.

I think $15.00 per hour would be tight unless you had a room mate.

[JD]

Yup, I once upon a time (7 years ago) made about that much and barely got by. And that was before the boom really got things out of control. But if you can barely get by you probably can network yourself into some better opportunities in Calgary than you would elsewhere. Then barely getting by might be parlayed into living comfortably and maybe even prospering.

Depends on what you think of the job prospects here. If you were looking to move here anyway, this might be your chance.

[Inferno]

Yeah, I worked out my expenses and really I would just be living from paycheck to paycheck with little to no money for myself. I do have money in the bank to hold me over but that wont last forever.

[Mazrim]

Find some roommates, get a transit pass, try not to overspend on luxury items, and you can make by on $15 an hour.

[Traditional_Ale]

If you're in graphic design I bet you know about fixing computers. If you have to live on 15/hr then maybe try to cultivate some work that way for spending cash. Then you should be fine while you work up your career. I wish I could take my own advice as easily as I give it, so take this with a grain of salt.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by JD

Depends on what you think of the job prospects here. If you were looking to move here anyway, this might be your chance.

I've always wanted to live in Calgary. But there always ended up being something holding me back thinking I could be happy here. But recent unfortunate events made me realize I need a change of scenery and Calgary offers more opportunity to me than Winnipeg does so I've decided to finally make the jump. Now it's just finding a job.

[Redliner]

I love Calgary but hate how expensive it has gotten. When I first moved up there in 1998 I lived quite comfortably as a single guy on $1700/month, splitting rent with a roommate. There is no way you could do that now.

I would think you'd want to be looking for something in the neighbourhood of $2500/month bring home to really live "comfortably" on your own, depending on what your expenses are. If you have car payments, student loans, or other debt then that number is going to have to be even higher.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Redliner

If you have car payments, student loans, or other debt then that number is going to have to be even higher.

I dont have a car but do plan on finally getting my license while I'm there. Thankfully I just finished paying off my student loan so that's one less thing to worry about. As far as expenses go really all I would need to worry about is rent, food, transit fare, cable, Internet, and about $150 a month in medical expenses.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Inferno

I dont have a car but do plan on finally getting my license while I'm there. Thankfully I just finished paying off my student loan so that's one less thing to worry about. As far as expenses go really all I would need to worry about is rent, food, transit fare, cable, Internet, and about $150 a month in medical expenses.

medicinal herbs?

[Matata]

You can find decent basement suites for $700-800 a month. Rents have been going down lately, so now is a decent time to snag a place.

I'm north of $2500/month and only spending $350/month on rent because I'm splitting the top floor of a bungalow with my brother. This is pretty much the first time I haven't felt suffocatingly poor in this city.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

medicinal herbs?

I have a disability and there's certain supplies and medication I use on a daily basis.

[worth]

If you want an average/decent place (when I was looking last year anyway) you're looking at 900-1000 per month as already said. Then just add on your other expenses. You can expect:

Electricity - $30
Internet/TV - $100
Car Insurance - ~$100
Gas - $Variable
Food - $Variable
Cell Phone - $60
Visa - $

Plus anything else you have to pay off. I don't have any debt so that is nice not to have to pay. But you may have to pay car loan, school loan etc.

I looked at $800 places last year that were holes in the wall. Although I was really only looking at a specific area of the city that I wanted to be in so that has a lot ot do with it.

Heck, you can buy a brand new 1400 sq ft house for $190,000! If you want to live on 168th Street NW!!!

[Shazam]

Good thing porn's free.

[WilsonFourTwo]

$15 an hour in Calgary.....hmmmmm. Don't worry, you won't be living in a box and eating only generic Mac & Cheese.

That said, you're likely best off living with a roommate and staying in most of the time if you have any intentions of saving a few sheckels each month. $30,000 a year ain't what it used to be, but its still livable.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Good thing porn's free.

Well I just feel plain stupid now.....

[Redliner]

Originally Posted by worth

Heck, you can buy a brand new 1400 sq ft house for $190,000! If you want to live on 168th Street NW!!!

Really? I don't think you could get a garden shed in NW Calgary for less than 200K.

[blankall]

It may be worth the temporary poverty in your line of work, which is based almost entirely on who you know and experience.

Calgary, despite being fairly expensive, provides a lot of opportunities to gain high level experience and it's not so much an "old boys club" like other cities. This means you can network your way into good jobs a lot easier than in other cities.

The drawback to Calgary is that it is a boom or bust town. So when your contract is up, if things aren't going well in Calgary, you will have a tough time finding a job.

All this being said, I lived on far less during university and got buy fairly easily. It all comes down to how old you are, what your expectations are, how much time you spend in clubs/bars, etc...

When I was 18 I lived on $800 a month (this was about 12 years ago though).

[worth]

Originally Posted by Redliner

Really? I don't think you could get a garden shed in NW Calgary for less than 200K.

It was a flyer that I got advertising new homes. It was basically on the very western edge of the city. May as well live in Cochrane, that's how far west it was.