Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa, IL and Toronto

For one person, living costs are similar in Ottawa, IL and in Toronto: $2,633 and $2,610 a month, rent and utilities included.

119

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa, IL
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Ottawa, IL Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Ottawa, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,633

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ottawa, IL and in Toronto

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ottawa, IL and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,633 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $2,610 in Toronto, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $2,633
Toronto $2,610

A couple spends around $3,645 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $3,727 in Toronto, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $3,645
Toronto $3,727

A family of three spends $4,657 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $4,844 in Toronto, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $4,657
Toronto $4,844

Ottawa, IL costs about 1% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ottawa, IL and Toronto sit above the global median – Ottawa, IL by 94%, Toronto by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 $14.83

$17.59 CA$24.87

-15.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$78.8 CA$111

-22.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$10.73 CA$15.16

-5.13%

Cappuccino

$4.76 $4.76

$4.09 CA$5.78

16.38%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.10 CA$2.97

7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.72 CA$2.43

-1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$6.36 CA$8.99

-15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 $5.61

$7.08 CA$10.01

-20.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$2.54 CA$3.59

-66.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.72 CA$3.85

11.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.18 CA$3.09

38.07%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$3.63 CA$5.13

7.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 $12.23

$9.46 CA$13.37

29.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$11.54 CA$16.32

-46.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$14.37 CA$20.32

-12.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.70 CA$5.23

-9.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.19 CA$1.68

19.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.46 CA$4.90

-10.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.22 CA$5.97

2.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.79 CA$2.52

17.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.65 CA$2.33

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.20 CA$3.11

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.26 CA$1.78

0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 $12.60

$13.97 CA$19.75

-9.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$14.20 CA$20.07

3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.25 CA$3.18

-7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.53 CA$3.58

60.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.32 CA$3.28

-11.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.06 CA$4.33

-16.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.22 CA$1.72

25.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.12 $33.12

$21.69 CA$30.66

52.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.21 CA$1.72

-3.31%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.1K CA$37.0K

5.00%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$21.1K CA$29.9K

28.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$234 $234

$120 CA$169

95.96%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$45.76 $45.76

$32.21 CA$45.54

42.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$48.88 CA$69.1

37.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.21 $39.21

$39.34 CA$55.6

-0.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.53 $26.53

$23.58 CA$33.34

12.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 $11.26

$12.58 CA$17.79

-10.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,001 $1,001

$832 CA$1,176

20.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$23.6K CA$33.4K

-16.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.96 $47.96

$52.3 CA$73.9

-8.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.88 $46.88

$39.44 CA$55.8

18.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$99.0 CA$140

15.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$122 CA$172

-0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 $1,641

$1,631 CA$2,306

0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 $1,483

$1,448 CA$2,048

2.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,846 $2,846

$2,737 CA$3,869

3.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$2,129 CA$3,010

3.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 $2,779

$8,206 CA$11.6K

-66.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,237 $2,237

$6,838 CA$9,666

-67.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,448 $2,448

$3,520 CA$4,976

-30.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.47

52.57%

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

Last update for Ottawa, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa, IL

$1.5K 56.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 2.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa, IL

$347 13.2%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 42.2% $147

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa, IL

$314 11.9%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 9.2% $29

Eating Out

Ottawa, IL

$260 9.9%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 8.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa, IL

$149 5.7%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 5.5% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa, IL

$62 2.3%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 4.5% $2.8

Getting Around

Ottawa, IL

$18 * 0.7%

Toronto

$130 5% 605% $112

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Ottawa, IL versus $1,631 in Toronto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 44% higher in Toronto, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Ottawa, IL versus $79.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $343 – making Ottawa, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ottawa, IL

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

23:12 11:12 PM

1 h ahead of Ottawa, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,342

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Ottawa, IL Toronto 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa, IL
Toronto

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ottawa, IL vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ottawa, IL is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,950 per month in Ottawa, IL and $3,916 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Toronto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,633 in Ottawa, IL and $2,610 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in Ottawa, IL and $832 in Toronto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,633 in Ottawa, IL and $2,610 in Toronto. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Toronto – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Toronto. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ottawa, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.