Located in the southwestern part of Canada, Calgary is the largest city of Alberta and the fifth largest city in the country.
Found on the Bow River about 80 km from the Canadian Rocky Mountains, this city has a population of around 1.1 million residents that belong to diverse cultures and races.
Calgary is known for its quality of living and is listed among the cleanest cities in the world. Once here, you can check out its main attractions like Olympic Plaza, Calgary Zoo, Military Museum, Calgary Tower, the Core Shopping Centre, EPCOR Centre, Prince’s Island Park, and more.
If you are planning to move here and are wondering about the cost of living, it is quite in line with what you would pay in other big cities in Canada.
The housing prices have very recently seen a slight increase as has the food cost, which is trending in an upward direction. The cost of groceries in Calgary is higher than the average cost across all of Canada. In fact, the forecast points at this becoming even more expensive in the coming years.
The average cost of homeowner’s insurance in Calgary is higher than the overall Canadian average.
Also, you will have to shell out quite a bit for childcare, which is the third-highest amount among all major cities in Canada, just after Toronto and Vancouver.
Calgary has warm and comfortable summers that last about three and a half months from June to September. July is the hottest month of the year with mostly clear skies.
Winters here are freezing and long, lasting close to four months. January is the coldest month of the year.
The Calgary sky is cloudy depending on seasonal variations, with March being its cloudiest month.
In terms of traffic infrastructure, Calgary is divided grid-wise into four quadrants: NE, NW, SE and SW. Residents of this city use Calgary Transit and ccess Calgary to travel by train, bus and special services to all four quadrants.
The city has a combination of light rail transit (the CTrain), many bus routes, and community shuttle buses. Around 50 percent of Calgary’s downtown workforce commutes via Calgary Transit daily.
Calgary has the second-lowest traffic congestion and the lowest commute time in all major Canadian cities and getting around is quite easy here.
If you prefer to drive, Calgary’s network of roads and highways will help you reach anywhere in the city quickly.
Also, this city’s extensive outdoor pathway and bikeway networks can help you to bike everywhere and remain fit.
Let us now speak of some advantages and disadvantages of this city.
For those who want to live in the lap of nature, this is a dream home. This city is insanely close, just an hour away, to the Rocky Mountains which means you can climb or hike whenever you want.
This city is a world leader in the oil and gas industry, which has made it one of the wealthiest cities in the country.
In fact, Calgary has more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in Canada. However, its cost of living is far more affordable than in other cities, like Vancouver.
Not just in taxes, Calgary’s rent prices are quite competitive and viable, even for newcomers.
More than 120 different languages are spoken here! This is the third most-diverse Canadian city with most immigrants being Filipino, Chinese, and Indian. This racial mix has led to Calgary being a very interesting creative destination.
While most people might not consider this a pro, Calgary is a completely rat-free place. Only the Arctic and the Antarctic can claim this distinction apart from this city!
Cons
While all the c-trains here are powered by wind energy, they wouldn’t take you to the remote areas in Calgary. You will have to take buses to reach there.
The rush hour here sees horrendous traffic. However, things do seem to be improving with the government providing funds for the improvement of roads.
Calgary’s suburbs grew so fast that school construction failed to match it. The result is large class sizes and children being sent off to faraway schools. Some schools have started a lottery system and some parents have lied about their home addresses just so their children can get into a school of their choice.
Calgary is the perfect place for those who love the outdoors and a clean and active community. If you are thinking of relocating, we can help you make the move easily and quickly. Contact us today and let our team of experts handle your stress of documentation and other formalities.
Canada has long been recognized for its world-class education system, multicultural society, and welcoming environment for international students. But what makes Canada an even more attractive destination is the vast...
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