Photos: Calgary by abdallahh, CC BY 2.0, cropped; San Francisco by Elijah Cobb, Pexels License.
Calgary or San Francisco?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Calgary for
- prices
- nature and the outdoors
- families
What lies behind each score is written up on Calgary’s own page.
Choose San Francisco for
- food and drink
- culture and sights
- live music and the arts
What lies behind each score is written up on San Francisco’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Calgary and San Francisco.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on prices and nature and the outdoors with your weighting.
Wins on food and drink and culture and sights with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Calgary in July
San Francisco in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Calgary: 1991-2020 normals, Calgary Int'l CS (8.2 km from centre). San Francisco: 1981-2010 normals, Alameda Naval Air Station (9.1 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Calgary | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | French, English | - |
| Currency | Canadian Dollar (CAD) | US Dollar (USD) |
| Sockets | AB120 V, 60 Hz | AB120 V, 60 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC-7, UTC-6 in summer | UTC-8, UTC-7 in summer |
| Emergency number | 911 | 911 |
| Elevation | 1,045 m | 16 m |
| Main airport | Calgary International Airport (YYC)9 km from centre103 non-stop destinations | San Francisco International Airport (SFO)18 km from centre142 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 13 days | 13 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Calgary | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 1,306,784 | 873,965 |
| People per km² | 1,583 | 1,455 |
| Museums within 10 km | 13 | 51 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 0 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | - | None |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Calgary or San Francisco somewhere new.