Vancouver vs Ottawa Cost of Living

Vancouver (Canada) · Overall index 67.8Ottawa (Canada) · Overall index 55.3

Summary

  • Overall, Ottawa is 18% cheaper than Vancouver.
  • Rent in Ottawa is 34% cheaper than in Vancouver.
  • Telecom in Ottawa is 18% cheaper than in Vancouver.
ItemVancouverOttawaDiff
Rent-34%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$2,238$1,311-41%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$1,452$1,016-30%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$3,668$2,779-24%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$2,620$1,605-39%
Groceries-13%
Milk (1L)$1.13$1.02-10%
White bread (500g)$3.03$2.86-6%
Rice (1kg)$4.07$3.59-12%
Eggs (12)$3.5$3.7+6%
Local cheese (1kg)$12.4$9.77-21%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$11.4$9.69-15%
Beef round (1kg)$15.3$15.1-1%
Apples (1kg)$4.33$3.95-9%
Bananas (1kg)$1.87$1.65-12%
Oranges (1kg)$3.85$3.5-9%
Tomatoes (1kg)$4.99$3.79-24%
Potatoes (1kg)$2.7$2.01-26%
Onions (1kg)$2.44$2.04-16%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.27$1.83-19%
Water (1.5L bottle)$1.83$1.66-9%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$12.8$10.4-19%
Transport-11%
Public transport, one-way ticket$2.09$1.77-15%
Public transport, monthly pass$103$72.4-30%
Taxi, base fare$2.83$2.42-14%
Taxi, per km$1.43$1.4-2%
Gasoline (1L)$0.7$0.67-4%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$20,323$19,628-3%
Dining out-12%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$18.3$15.1-17%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$96.1$86.6-10%
Fast food combo meal$8.11$8.93+10%
Cappuccino$4.64$3.47-25%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$1.84$1.96+7%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$6.06$5.29-13%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$6.37$5.06-21%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$1.63$1.32-19%
Telecom-18%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$47.5$43-9%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$62.1$44.6-28%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.28$0.24-14%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$13.4$10.9-19%
Utilities & household-15%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$156$124-21%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.19$0.14-26%
Tap water (1m³)$4.27$3.68-14%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.21$1.18-2%
Waste collection (monthly)$18$17.1-5%
Fitness club (monthly)$74.4$61.3-18%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$13.6$11.2-18%
Men's haircut$25.1$24.4-3%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$22.4$17.2-23%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$1,656$1,402-15%

3,220 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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