2.2/5
189 reviews
Photo by Kelly Hofer via Unsplash

Calgary

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good

downtown

cold

long

climate

nice

sports

outdoor

activities

nearby

short

drive

mountains

core

recession

dry

economy

oil

gas

The city offers excellent outdoor recreation opportunities, with easy access to hiking, snowboarding, mountain biking, and unique features like a motocross track in the city. There's plenty to do if you're into sports and the outdoors. Infrastructure is strong, the city is clean, and there are some job opportunities available, especially for educated workers despite a long-term economic slowdown connected to the oil and gas industry. Scenery is also a big plus, with proximity to mountains and nature activities.

On the downside, winters are very long, cold, and dry, which isn't for everyone. Public transportation is weak outside the downtown area, making a car almost essential. Social life can be challenging, particularly for immigrants—many reviewers mention that people are polite but generally closed-off, making it hard to form close friendships. The dating scene, especially for male newcomers, isn't ideal, and the city can feel isolating if you're not into sports or outdoor activities. Overall, it's a better fit for families or individuals who prioritize nature, infrastructure, and a quieter social life, rather than vibrant culture or social connections.

AI-generated summary of reviews

Nice clean city with lots to do if you're into sports and outdoor activities. Pretty good rec leagues (hockey, baseball, etc.) and probably the only city in North America with a full motocross track in the city centre. Also have kart racing nearby (Strathmore) and indoor/outdoor skydiving. Also lots of mountain biking, rock climbing, and hiking within a short drive (Maclean Creek, Drumheller, mountains). Obviously great snowboarding and skiing both in the city (Canadian Olympic Park) and nearby mountains.

For those who aren't into sports or the like the city might be a bit boring. The downtown core is coming back after the recession but still not as lively as many other metropolitans. Definitely a car based city once you get outside the city core but city is investing in subway system so that might get better in next few years.

3 years ago

I've lived here all my life. Its cold, dry , but sunny usually . Summers are short. Job opportunities are ok for well educated only. Economy has been in a long term downturn due to an oil and gas base. Used to be much better economy (pre-2014). Currently over 25% vacancy in downtown buildings you see in photos of downtown office towers. Recovery will depend on a successful transition to tech and other industries considering climate change initiatives away from oil and gas. People stick to themselves here a lot compared to other countries. Generally polite but not friendly. Females are extremely closed and hard to meet here, Most are unattractive and overweight anyways. So definitely not a dating hotspot for male nomads. Good for families however, if you earn good money. And there is good scenery, infrastructure is excellent, and close to the mountains and outdoor activities, if you don mind the cool to cold climate.

3 years ago

Don't Expect to make any friends if you're immigrant after living there for 2 year. Food is suck , Weather is suck , it is long and cold AF
Most Canadian here is closed minded like other said it made me depress so much of living here

6 years ago

Nice city if you drive only. The public transportation is a joke here and the winters are long and cold.
Good parts - there are still jobs even in recession, beautiful scenery, dry climate compared to the East coast of Canada. Hard to make friends if you are an immigrant even after ten years. Despite the false sense of canadian openness - people do not care about warm, human relationships, the majority is interested in career or prefer to stay in their bubble, closed-minded. Europe is much more attractive than this place, socially speaking.

6 years ago

✅ Beautiful scenery

✅ Good for outdoor activities

✅ Clean city

✅ Job opportunities available for educated workers

✅ Good infrastructure

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Good hospitals

✅ Roads are very safe

✅ Great freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Everyone speaks English

✅ Safe for women

✅ Family friendly

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ (Medical) marijuana MAY be legal, unenforced or decriminalized (always double check this)

❌ Very cold, long winters

❌ Unfriendly or closed-minded social environment

❌ Poor public transportation

❌ Not welcoming for immigrants

❌ Limited dating scene

❌ Very expensive

❌ Not much to do

❌ Cold now

❌ Gets very cold in the winter

❌ Very damp now

❌ Nomads.com members really didn't like going here

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Difficult to make friends

❌ Many people smoke tobacco

❌ High alcohol consumption

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels

27 -3°
freezing

18 -8°
freezing

39 4°
cold

48 9°
cold

54 12°
cool

72 22°
mild

75 24°
warm

70 21°
mild

64 18°
cool

48 9°
cold

36 2°
cold

12 -11°
freezing

Real

31 -1°
freezing

22 -6°
freezing

41 5°
very cold

49 10°
cold

54 12°
cool

71 22°
mild

75 24°
warm

69 21°
mild

63 17°
cool

50 10°
cold

39 4°
very cold

18 -8°
freezing

Humidity

nice
31%

nice
30%

too dry
26%

too dry
29%

nice
33%

too dry
30%

too dry
26%

too dry
28%

nice
30%

too dry
30%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

dry
15mm

dry
16mm

dry
23mm

dry
27mm

rainy
69mm

rainy
57mm

rainy
61mm

rainy
65mm

dry
24mm

dry
29mm

dry
8mm

dry
18mm

Cloud

pockets
30%

pockets
38%

pockets
31%

pockets
29%

pockets
38%

pockets
24%

pockets
22%

pockets
30%

pockets
31%

pockets
33%

pockets
44%

Air quality

clean
28 US AQI

clean
37 US AQI

clean
28 US AQI

clean
20 US AQI

clean
22 US AQI

clean
18 US AQI

clean
23 US AQI

clean
28 US AQI

clean
18 US AQI

clean
25 US AQI

clean
29 US AQI

clean
26 US AQI

Remote workers

289 people

275 people

350 people

340 people

560 people

540 people

775 people

538 people

640 people

511 people

325 people

429 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Not all nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

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Help pick the best photos for Calgary and improve this page's look by tappingclicking on them and the site saves your feedback Vote photos

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🌇 Also went here64 people

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 34° 93° 29° 83°

✈️18h

$4,088 / mo

🌇 Also went here53 people

200 remote workers in Calgary now, of which 1+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Not all nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.2/5 (Rank #677) 189 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍3 liked it 👎3 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
💵 Cost	🧐 Pricey: $3,459 / mo
📡 Internet	🙂 Good: 25Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥶 Too cold: 6°C43°F (feels 6°C43°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	💦 Damp: 72%
💨 Air quality (now)	🌱 Great: 47 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Great: 21 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🤝 Lack of racism*	Great
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Great
💰 Income level*	Very high: $3,513 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Great
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Okay
🧳 Lost luggage*	Bad
🏥 Hospitals	Good
😄 Happiness*	Okay
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city	Bad
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Bad
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Great
👩 Female friendly	Okay
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly	Great
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	North America
🚩 Country	Canada
🗓️ Average trip length	13 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	25 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌤 6°C 43°F + 💦 Damp (72%) = feels 6°C 43°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👍 47 US AQI 🍃 OK
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👍 21 US AQI
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🧔 Best neighborhood to stay	Manchester Industrial
🚀 Upcoming neighborhood	Beltline
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 10 CAD in USD	USD 7.02
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	CAD 100 = USD 70
💸 Tipping	Yes, 15%
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	Assembly
💻 Best alt. coworking space	AcceleratorYYC
🚰 Tap water	👌 Yes, safe to drink
♻️ Return rate	👍14% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	1,200,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$42,154 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 49% 👱‍♀️ 51%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 53% 👱‍♀️ 47%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 81% 👱‍♀️ 19%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Best Buy
🏠 Apartment listings	rRentfaster
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	West Jet
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Air Canada

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$3,459 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$2,249 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$5,266 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$1,504 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$1,304 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,859 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$1,172 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$61 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$61 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$445 / month
🍛 Dinner	$16
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$5
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$4
👩‍🏫 International school	$17,374 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$44 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$5 / trip
💰 Estimated tax on $50,000	$12,825
💰 Estimated tax on $100,000	$34,643
💰 Estimated tax on $250,000	$109,369