Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Calgary Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Calgary

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Ottawa is 1.4% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Ottawa is 2.6% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.21 CA$24.78
$18.19 CA$24.76
0.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.2 CA$99.7
$70.5 CA$96
3.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.37 CA$15.47
$11.19 CA$15.23
1.61%
Cappuccino
$3.98 CA$5.41
$3.77 CA$5.13
5.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 CA$2.91
$1.97 CA$2.68
8.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 CA$2.33
$1.73 CA$2.35
-1.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.84 CA$7.95
$5.28 CA$7.19
10.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.8 CA$9.26
$6.71 CA$9.13
1.34%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 CA$3.15
$2.21 CA$3.01
4.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.73 CA$3.71
$2.77 CA$3.78
-1.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.35 CA$4.56
$3.41 CA$4.65
-1.76%
Eggs
$3.54 CA$4.82
$3.42 CA$4.65
3.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.07 CA$15.07
$14.33 CA$19.51
-22.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.84 CA$17.48
$12.6 CA$17.15
1.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.08 CA$21.89
$15.99 CA$21.76
0.56%
Apples (1kg)
$4.41 CA$6
$4.49 CA$6.11
-1.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 CA$1.92
$1.34 CA$1.82
5.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.54 CA$4.82
$3.83 CA$5.22
-7.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.68 CA$5.01
$4.35 CA$5.92
-15.40%
Potato (1kg)
$2.57 CA$3.49
$2.63 CA$3.58
-2.28%
Onion (1kg)
$3.08 CA$4.19
$2.63 CA$3.58
17.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.17 CA$2.95
$2.74 CA$3.73
-20.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 CA$2.12
$1.87 CA$2.54
-16.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.88 CA$18.89
$15.02 CA$20.44
-7.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.37 CA$18.2
$14.43 CA$19.65
-7.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 CA$3.43
$2.86 CA$3.89
-11.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 CA$4.36
$3.82 CA$5.19
-15.97%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.88 CA$3.92
$2.83 CA$3.85
1.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.4 CA$134
$86 CA$117
14.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.75 CA$3.75
$3.56 CA$4.84
-22.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 CA$1.96
$1.36 CA$1.85
5.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.5 CA$26.55
$28.68 CA$39.03
-32.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 CA$1.56
$1.08 CA$1.46
6.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.7K CA$33.7K
$24.6K CA$33.4K
0.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K CA$30.2K
$21.8K CA$29.7K
2.00%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 CA$216
$210 CA$285
-24.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.16 CA$57.4
$41.82 CA$56.9
0.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.4 CA$70
$57.8 CA$78.7
-11.07%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.57 CA$64.8
$53.3 CA$72.6
-10.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.85 CA$21.58
$53.6 CA$72.9
-70.42%
Cinema Ticket
$11.01 CA$14.99
$12.62 CA$17.17
-12.76%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$916 CA$1,247
$867 CA$1,180
5.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16K CA$21.7K
$16.1K CA$21.9K
-0.80%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53 CA$72.2
$57.5 CA$78.3
-7.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.34 CA$54.9
$46.96 CA$63.9
-14.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 CA$124
$86.7 CA$118
5.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.6 CA$130
$106 CA$144
-9.88%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 CA$2,052
$1,394 CA$1,897
8.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 CA$1,712
$1,168 CA$1,589
7.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,320 CA$3,158
$2,339 CA$3,184
-0.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,874 CA$2,551
$1,885 CA$2,566
-0.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,905 CA$6,677
$3,575 CA$4,867
37.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,178 CA$4,326
$3,139 CA$4,273
1.23%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,290 CA$4,479
$2,990 CA$4,070
10.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.48
5.71
-4.03%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ottawa: October 28, 2025

Last update for Calgary: October 29, 2025

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