Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Ottawa Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Ottawa

🙂 Solo nomad: Montreal is 2.9% cheaper than Ottawa without rent, and 14.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Montreal is 2.2% cheaper than Ottawa without rent, and 10.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.03 CA$21.97
$18.07 CA$24.76
-11.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.9 CA$99.9
$73.3 CA$100
-0.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.17 CA$15.31
$11.07 CA$15.16
0.90%
Cappuccino
$3.84 CA$5.26
$4.03 CA$5.52
-4.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 CA$2.88
$2.16 CA$2.96
-2.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 CA$2.07
$1.65 CA$2.26
-8.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.25 CA$8.56
$5.79 CA$7.93
7.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.77 CA$9.27
$6.52 CA$8.93
3.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 CA$3.12
$2.35 CA$3.22
-2.98%
White Bread (500g)
$3.29 CA$4.50
$2.68 CA$3.67
22.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.72 CA$5.09
$3.31 CA$4.53
12.39%
Eggs
$3.34 CA$4.57
$3.66 CA$5.02
-8.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.17 CA$22.15
$11.36 CA$15.56
42.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.60 CA$15.89
$13.05 CA$17.88
-11.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.50 CA$21.23
$15.86 CA$21.73
-2.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.67 CA$5.02
$4.33 CA$5.93
-15.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 CA$2.34
$1.36 CA$1.86
25.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.91 CA$5.36
$3.46 CA$4.73
13.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.31 CA$5.91
$3.65 CA$5.00
18.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.77 CA$3.80
$2.58 CA$3.53
7.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.67 CA$3.65
$3.13 CA$4.29
-14.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 CA$3.09
$2.21 CA$3.02
2.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 CA$2.33
$1.56 CA$2.14
8.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.13 CA$17.99
$13.88 CA$19.02
-5.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.06 CA$15.15
$10.89 CA$14.92
1.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.02 CA$4.13
$2.52 CA$3.45
19.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 CA$4.70
$3.25 CA$4.45
5.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.68 CA$3.67
$2.99 CA$4.09
-10.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.2 CA$102
$98.6 CA$135
-24.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 CA$4.98
$2.86 CA$3.92
27.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.38 CA$1.90
$1.41 CA$1.93
-2.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.85 CA$46.37
$19.90 CA$27.26
70.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.66
$1.16 CA$1.58
4.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.4K CA$34.8K
$25.5K CA$34.9K
-0.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K CA$29.9K
$21.8K CA$29.8K
0.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.1 CA$101
$160 CA$220
-53.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.68 CA$50.3
$42.92 CA$58.8
-14.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.38 CA$60.8
$53.0 CA$72.6
-16.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.45 CA$58.2
$47.48 CA$65.1
-10.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.85 CA$23.09
$15.78 CA$21.61
6.78%
Cinema Ticket
$10.87 CA$14.89
$11.18 CA$15.31
-2.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$618 CA$847
$916 CA$1,255
-32.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,952 CA$8,155
$15.9K CA$21.7K
-62.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.1 CA$86.4
$53.8 CA$73.7
17.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.52 CA$61.0
$40.71 CA$55.8
9.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 CA$138
$91.5 CA$125
10.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 CA$168
$94.1 CA$129
30.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,196 CA$1,639
$1,475 CA$2,020
-18.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$971 CA$1,330
$1,271 CA$1,741
-23.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,040 CA$2,795
$2,338 CA$3,203
-12.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 CA$2,185
$1,881 CA$2,577
-15.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,204 CA$7,129
$4,404 CA$6,034
18.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,996 CA$5,475
$4,123 CA$5,649
-3.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Ottawa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,060 CA$4,192
$4,099 CA$5,616
-25.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.01
5.48
-8.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Montreal: March 1, 2026

Last update for Ottawa: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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