Southern Alberta Cost of Living
Alberta SouthWest has a ‘Low’ Cost of Living
Using average `household income and average house price in the Region (2005) compared to Alberta, and average house price in the Region (2010), Alberta SouthWest communities:
- Have 30% lower household income than the Alberta average, BUT
- Have an average house price that is 58% lower than the Alberta average
House Prices are a Fraction of the Price of Calgary Region Housing
All forms of housing are within reach of average family income in the AlbertaSouthWest region.
Based on house resale prices in 2010, housing prices in urban communities in Alberta SouthWest are:
- 68% lower than City of Calgary average
- 64% lower than total Calgary Region average
- 59% lower than Calgary Region satellite community average
Based on house resale prices in 2010, housing prices in rural districts in Alberta SouthWest are:
- 72% lower than Calgary region country residential
Albertans have the lowest personal taxes in Canada, and competitive utility rates
Alberta's personal tax advantage results from a low single rate income tax system (10%) including the highest basic and spousal exemptions in the country, no general sales tax, the lowest gasoline tax rate among the provinces, and low property taxes. (Src:
http://www.finance.alberta.ca/business/tax_rebates/index.html)
Municipal property taxes for the largest communities in Alberta SouthWest (Crowsnest Pass, Cardston, Pincher Creek, Fort Macleod, Claresholm) average roughly $1600 based on average home sale prices – roughly 25% lower than a Calgary Region average of roughly $2200.
Approximate annual utility fees* for an average house in the Alberta SouthWest Region are as follows:
- municipal water and sewer - $520
- garbage/recycling (where applicable) - $190
- gas (heating) - $765
- electricity - $820
- phone (optional) - $600
- high speed Internet - $600
*To calculate water and sewer rate, an average of 2010 rates of four urban communities in the Alberta SouthWest Region (Claresholm, Pincher Creek, Crowsnest Pass, Fort Macleod) based on average water consumption. To calculate gas and electricity rates, average annual gas and electricity consumption is multiplied by 2010 rates.
