Calgary Vs Edmonton - Which is Better?

There are so many people moving to Alberta right now, but…is it worth all the hype? I think so, but…which Alberta city is best to move? Is it Calgary or Edmonton, the battle of Alberta and who is going to come out on top! If you stick around I’ll let you know and we are going to get into it right now!

 

My name is Ryan Gillard with Real Broker…Your Calgary Realtor. If you are thinking of making a move I’d love to be of assistance. Give me a call, shoot me a text, send me an email and I’ll gladly help you out. 

 

Just so you’re aware, even though I live in Calgary I’m going to try to come off as impartial and honest as I can be, and with that said I’m going to start off with some of the things Edmonton does better than Calgary.

 

1. Edmonton’s River Valley Vs Calgary’s

I would say one of the major benefits of living in Edmonton is having the river valley cutting through the city. Edmonton’s river valley is the largest urban parkland in North America at around 18,000 acres with a bunch of parks, trails, and natural areas. The terrain is also quite diverse with riverbanks, ravines, forests, and meadows. Now, Calgary also has the Bow and Elbow river valleys cutting through the city, but I would give the slight edge to Edmonton as I find the terrain to be a bit more dramatic and varied compared to Calgary’s if I’m being honest. Both are fantastic in my opinion. Overall Calgary does have more park space throughout the city than Edmonton but they are comparable. Both cities have been designed with nature in mind.

 

2. Location

This one is clearly a major advantage for Calgary and I think most Albertan’s would agree despite having their regional biases. Calgary is simply a more connected city in many ways. The glaring win here is the close proximity to Kananaskis country, Canmore, and Banff national park. You’ve got some of the best outdoor activities in the world in these areas with downhill skiing, cross country skiing, tobogganing, ski-doing, biking, golf, dining and shopping in Banff and Canmore, hot springs there’s a lot to offer and many of these places are 1-2 hours from Calgary. You can leave at 7am from downtown Calgary and be at the ski hill before they open at 9am. Even locations that are a bit further out like Fernie, Golden, Revelstoke, are close enough trips. If you’re living in Edmonton it’s about a 4-4.5  hour drive from downtown to Jasper or places like Marmot Basin. Doable, but it’s still about the time where it’s more of a vacation vs a simple day trip so it isn’t nearly as accessible as living in Calgary. For this reason alone I would say living in Calgary is better than in Edmonton, but I’m an active and adventurous person.

 

Calgary to Canmore - 89km and about 1 hour

Calgary to Kananaskis Village - 99km 1 hour and 8 minutes

Calgary to Banff - 104km - 1 hour 23 minutes

What is Edmonton - 4 - 4.5 hours or so to Jasper and Marmot Basin

 

Airport - Calgary also features a bigger and more connected airport with more passenger traffic and non stop flight options. Calgary serves as a hub for both international and domestic flights, while Edmonton is primarily a domestic airport with a few international options. Calgary’s airport passenger traffic is roughly 2.5x as much as Edmonton’s  at 18.5 million annual passengers vs 7.5 million. Many people who live in Edmonton will often fly to Calgary first and then go somewhere else afterwards. There are many direct flights from Calgary to the USA, Europe, Central America, and I’ve even flown direct to places like Tokyo. The Calgary airport is directly in the NE part of the city and is easily accessible (there might even be a c-train stop there at some point), while Edmonton’s airport is roughly 45 minutes to an hour south of the city which isn’t ideal.

 

If you’re looking at this from a tourist’s perspective Calgary would be the winner as well with a busier airport and closer proximity to the mountains and many tourist activities.

 

Transit - The transit system in Calgary is definitely better with way more coverage of the city. The c-train currently covers 60km of the city and has 45 stations, while Edmonton’s covers 24km and has 18 stations. Calgary’s green line, which is currently under construction, will significantly increase this with it covering 46km of the city and adding another 28 stations.

 

 

Calgary has way more freeways and faster roads to get where you need to go. Edmonton isn’t as spread out as Calgary but I find it to be a bit of a pain to get around or take some of the major roads in Edmonton. I personally find Calgary to be the easiest city in North America to drive through so this is a clear win for Calgary.

 

3. Arts and Culture

This one is a clear win for Edmonton. Edmonton has always had a much stronger arts and culture scene compared to Calgary. I don’t think too many people would disagree with this. The creative and artistic communities in Edmonton are simply better and the venues and facilities to showcase the arts are better in Edmonton. In Edmonton’s downtown you’ve got places like the Art Gallery of Alberta, Winspear Centre which is home to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra which is recognized on the world stage, just south is the Citadel Theatre that hosts world class events, workshops, and theatrical events.

 

South of the river you’ve got the Old Strathcona area with the Transalta Arts Barns, Varscona Theatre, and Walterdale Theatre with everything from stage plays, improv, to comedy shows. Strathcona really is a hub for creative people. 

 

124th street in downtown has a bunch of independent art galleries, shops and restaurants as well.

 

There’s definitely a bigger arts scene in Edmonton, that’s not to say it doesn’t also exist in Calgary, but I find people in Calgary are generally more outdoorsy than they are artsy but I’m generalizing. This is also evident in our city council completely dropping the ball on many arts projects around the city. Huge sums of money for some questionable art projects. It’s an area we could improve on if I’m being honest.

 

Edmonton is also known as the festival city with over 50 festivals each year. In the summer time there’s pretty much a festival every day from June until September. While there are some festivals in Calgary as well I would say there are quite a bit more in Edmonton.

 

International Fringe Festival - Every August in old Strathcona(theatre productions and street performers)

Edmonton Folk music festival in Cloverdale (sitting on a Gallagher hill with candles watching live music)

 

Street performer festival, Heritage Days, Deep Freeze festival. Strathcona.

 

Even though Edmonton is more artsy than Calgary the biggest cultural event in the province hands down is the Calgary Stampede. Don’t ever let an Edmontonian tell you that K Days is the same thing as the Stampede because some of the rides from the Stampede will go to Edmonton afterwards for K Days. The Stampede is different in that the entire city shuts down for 2 weeks and it’s a giant party.

 

 

Bars and Restaurants Vibe - In Edmonton, you’ll find more mom and pop shops and holes in the wall establishments that make solid food at good prices. The buildings might be a bit dumpy but the food and atmosphere are unique and fun. Calgary has a lot of big box chain store like places with decent food that are new and shiny, but the atmosphere is kind of sterile.

 

 

The University of Alberta is nicer than the UofC and I think many Calgarians would agree. I know quite a few local Calgarians who chose to go there over the UofC. It’s definitely more prestigious and internationally recognized. It has a beautiful campus near the river valley with a good mix of old buildings and super modern high tech buildings. I really like the atmosphere around that part of the city. Mount Royal and Grand MacEwan are probably similar and the same with Nait and Sait.

 

4. The Climate

When we compare the climate of Calgary to Edmonton we are comparing a bad climate with a bad climate. There are some subtle differences though. Edmonton being further north gets lower temperatures in the winter, and the chinook winds aren’t as noticeable compared to Calgary. The Chinook wins can take Calgary from -30 to plus 10 in hours so it’s big deal and that doesn’t really happen in Edmonton. When it gets cold the snow accumulates and piles up and in Calgary it can be hot, cold, hot, cold so the snow often melts and doesn’t accumulate as much. In the summer I think Edmonton gets warmer temperatures and it doesn’t cool off as much at night compared to Calgary. I think this is because Edmonton is 671m and Calgary is 1045m above sea level and closer to the mountains. I would give the win here to Calgary due to the Chinook winds and a bit warmer in the winter.

 

5. Overall Vibe

One thing you hear quite often when comparing the two cities is that Calgary is more cosmopolitan and wants to be recognized internationally as being one of the best places in the world to live. Calgary has a bit more buzz and excitement to it and feels a bit more big city, brighter/shinier, more affluent, and urban. Calgary is probably more well known and touristy thanks to its proximity to Banff, hosting the olympics, and the Stampede.  I find Edmonton is more content just being Edmonton and maybe not as ambitious as Calgary. Edmonton has more of a small town feel. 

 

Edmonton is definitely less visually appealing when you drive through it with older buildings, industrial areas, more low income neighbourhoods, and the crime rate is higher than in Calgary.

 

One is not better than the other they just have slightly different vibes.

 

 

6. Downtown

Calgary 100% has a much better downtown compared to Edmonton. Calgary has a somewhat vibrant downtown core, maybe not on the same scale as Vancouver or Toronto but it is definitely better than Edmonton’s. I don’t think many people would disagree with this. Calgary’s is more cosmopolitan, bigger, more bustling, better looking buildings and architecture, and more exciting. It is also more walkable with places like Stephen Ave, Eau Claire, 17th ave, Beltline, Inglewood, and the East Village. It is also cleaner and safer than Edmonton’s downtown. Calgary is actually rated the cleanest city in the world.

 

 

If we look at Edmonton their downtown had nothing going on until the arena was built. The revitalization project is still ongoing and a bit of a ghost town. There’s no reason to go downtown unless you have to go for work. Calgary’s downtown can have challenges after hours in that people take off to the suburbs, but there are still much more vibrant areas surrounding the core that are better in Calgary than in Edmonton. Less crime and social disorder in Calgary and I haven’t seen any tent cities downtown Calgary yet. I’d give the win to Calgary on this topic.

 

7. Real Estate

 

The cost of living can be a huge factor and many people are uprooting their lives and moving to Alberta internationally or from other parts of Canada. I started making these videos because I noticed that all my buyers were coming from BC, Ontario, and internationally and almost all of them were looking for a place that isn’t outrageously expensive where they can work, live, and raise a family.

 

Of the two cities Edmonton is cheaper in terms of buying or renting property. 

 

 

$399,000 vs $572k. Very important if you’re a first time home buyer.

Avg Rent is 1188 vs 1634

 

The win definitely goes to Edmonton here. Their prices are super attractive.

 

8. Economy

Calgary is definitely more of a corporate business hub and Edmonton is more industrial. You see a lot of white collar jobs in Calgary with it having the second most head offices in the country behind Toronto. Lots of jobs in oil and gas management, finance, insurance, tech sector, agriculture etc. While Calgary has the oil and gas head offices… Edmonton is more blue collar and has oil and gas service jobs. 

 

Edmonton is the capital city so it comes with a lot of government jobs that also come with a lot of security. If you want a more secure stable job Edmonton might be the choice for you.

 

I don’t think there is a clear winner it just depends on what you like.

 

9. Politics - If you want to get a job in politics I would move to Edmonton as it’s the capital of Alberta and has more jobs in that sphere. In terms of politics there are also more demonstrations and protests in Edmonton having the legislature so that’s one drawback about living there. The legislature grounds are quite nice though.