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

🙂 Solo nomad: Ottawa is 4.9% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ottawa is 2% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 0.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.07 CA$24.76
$18.57 CA$25.44
-2.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.3 CA$100
$70.2 CA$96.1
4.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.07 CA$15.16
$10.98 CA$15.04
0.82%
Cappuccino
$4.03 CA$5.52
$3.86 CA$5.29
4.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$2.96
$2.05 CA$2.81
5.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 CA$2.26
$1.68 CA$2.30
-1.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.79 CA$7.93
$5.07 CA$6.94
14.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.52 CA$8.93
$6.55 CA$8.97
-0.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.35 CA$3.22
$2.22 CA$3.04
5.86%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.67
$2.76 CA$3.79
-2.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.31 CA$4.53
$3.36 CA$4.60
-1.49%
Eggs
$3.66 CA$5.02
$3.36 CA$4.60
8.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.36 CA$15.56
$14.46 CA$19.81
-21.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.05 CA$17.88
$12.88 CA$17.64
1.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.86 CA$21.73
$15.88 CA$21.75
-0.13%
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 CA$5.93
$4.26 CA$5.84
1.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 CA$1.86
$1.30 CA$1.78
4.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.46 CA$4.73
$3.73 CA$5.12
-7.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.65 CA$5.00
$4.24 CA$5.81
-13.92%
Potato (1kg)
$2.58 CA$3.53
$2.58 CA$3.54
-
Onion (1kg)
$3.13 CA$4.29
$2.62 CA$3.58
19.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 CA$3.02
$2.65 CA$3.63
-16.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 CA$2.14
$1.85 CA$2.54
-15.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.88 CA$19.02
$14.61 CA$20.02
-5.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.89 CA$14.92
$14.51 CA$19.88
-24.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 CA$3.45
$2.90 CA$3.97
-13.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 CA$4.45
$4.04 CA$5.54
-19.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 CA$4.09
$2.71 CA$3.72
10.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.6 CA$135
$87.6 CA$120
12.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.86 CA$3.92
$3.60 CA$4.93
-20.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.41 CA$1.93
$1.37 CA$1.87
2.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.90 CA$27.26
$28.89 CA$39.58
-31.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 CA$1.58
$1.12 CA$1.53
3.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.5K CA$34.9K
$24.8K CA$34.0K
2.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K CA$29.8K
$21.8K CA$29.8K
0.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$160 CA$220
$215 CA$295
-25.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.92 CA$58.8
$40.83 CA$55.9
5.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.0 CA$72.6
$58.1 CA$79.7
-8.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.48 CA$65.1
$53.5 CA$73.3
-11.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.78 CA$21.61
$52.7 CA$72.1
-70.03%
Cinema Ticket
$11.18 CA$15.31
$12.33 CA$16.89
-9.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$916 CA$1,255
$875 CA$1,198
4.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K CA$21.7K
$16.2K CA$22.2K
-2.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 CA$73.7
$58.4 CA$80.0
-7.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.71 CA$55.8
$47.38 CA$64.9
-14.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 CA$125
$86.2 CA$118
6.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.1 CA$129
$107 CA$146
-11.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,475 CA$2,020
$1,366 CA$1,871
7.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 CA$1,741
$1,174 CA$1,609
8.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,338 CA$3,203
$2,354 CA$3,225
-0.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 CA$2,577
$1,868 CA$2,560
0.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,404 CA$6,034
$3,793 CA$5,197
16.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,123 CA$5,649
$3,599 CA$4,931
14.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,099 CA$5,616
$3,114 CA$4,266
31.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.48
5.71
-4.03%

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

Last update for Ottawa: March 1, 2026

Last update for Calgary: 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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