Fewer Calgarians are rating their quality of life as good or excellent, while nearly half say they worry about running out of food, according to the Calgary Foundation’s 2026 quality of life report. The report, based on survey responses from 1,000 Calgarians, found that 58 per cent rated their quality of life as good or excellent, down from 66 per cent last year and 75 per cent in 2020. Fourteen per cent described their quality of life as below average or poor, compared with 10 per cent in 2025. Despite those pressures, 86 per cent agreed Calgary is a good place to live, and 85 per cent said it is a good place to raise a family. Food costs changing habits Rising costs have prompted 59 per cent of Calgarians to change their eating habits, the report found. Forty-five per cent said they often or occasionally worry about running out of food. That figure rose to 53 per cent among people with children in their household and 61 per cent among those with a long-term disability. Overall, 80 per cent said they could meet basic financial needs, including housing, utilities, food and health care, roughly unchanged from 81 per cent last year. However, only 60 per cent said they could save for the future. Among those with household incomes below $60,000, that fell to 37 per cent. The report also found a substantial income gap in how people assessed their lives. Just 37 per cent of those with household incomes below $60,000 rated their quality of life as good or excellent, compared with 89 per cent of those above $200,000. Some improvements The report identified signs of relief in housing, with 19 per cent of Calgarians experiencing housing-related stress, down from 28 per cent in 2024. Sixty-three per cent of renters said they could find suitable rental options, up from 51 per cent two years ago. Connections to the city also remained strong. Seventy-eight per cent reported a strong or moderate sense of belonging, although nearly one in four said they frequently felt lonely. Seventeen per cent said they planned to leave Calgary within the next five years, down from 19 per cent in 2025 and 30 per cent in 2021. The report described this year’s figure as the lowest recorded. The survey was conducted by DDL Analytics. According to the report, respondents were randomly selected based on demographic quotas. The full report can be found here: https://publications.calgaryfoundation.org/quality-of-life-2026/.
