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

🙂 Solo nomad: Ottawa is 2.7% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 3.9% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ottawa is 3.9% cheaper than Calgary without rent, and 4.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.48 CA$25.32
$18.20 CA$24.93
1.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.7 CA$102
$70.0 CA$95.9
6.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.47 CA$15.72
$11.01 CA$15.09
4.18%
Cappuccino
$4.01 CA$5.50
$3.73 CA$5.11
7.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 CA$2.85
$1.98 CA$2.71
5.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 CA$2.28
$1.65 CA$2.26
1.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.82 CA$7.98
$5.27 CA$7.22
10.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.65 CA$9.11
$6.65 CA$9.11
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CA$3.11
$2.15 CA$2.94
5.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 CA$3.80
$2.68 CA$3.67
3.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.20 CA$4.38
$3.40 CA$4.66
-5.88%
Eggs
$3.52 CA$4.83
$3.28 CA$4.49
7.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.35 CA$15.55
$14.65 CA$20.07
-22.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.09 CA$17.94
$12.61 CA$17.28
3.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.57 CA$21.32
$16.13 CA$22.10
-3.47%
Apples (1kg)
$4.16 CA$5.71
$4.46 CA$6.11
-6.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 CA$1.86
$1.34 CA$1.84
1.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.40 CA$4.66
$3.73 CA$5.11
-8.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.82 CA$5.23
$4.29 CA$5.88
-10.96%
Potato (1kg)
$2.57 CA$3.52
$2.67 CA$3.65
-3.75%
Onion (1kg)
$3.19 CA$4.38
$2.61 CA$3.57
22.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 CA$3.02
$2.74 CA$3.76
-19.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 CA$2.08
$1.90 CA$2.60
-20.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.19 CA$19.44
$14.98 CA$20.52
-5.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.03 CA$15.12
$14.30 CA$19.59
-22.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.43
$2.90 CA$3.97
-13.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 CA$4.43
$3.97 CA$5.44
-18.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.87 CA$3.94
$2.68 CA$3.67
7.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.7 CA$135
$87.9 CA$120
12.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.85 CA$3.90
$3.57 CA$4.88
-20.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.02
$1.34 CA$1.84
10.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.56 CA$26.79
$29.30 CA$40.15
-33.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 CA$1.57
$1.13 CA$1.55
1.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K CA$33.7K
$25.1K CA$34.4K
-2.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K CA$30.6K
$22.2K CA$30.4K
0.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 CA$220
$218 CA$299
-26.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$43.60 CA$59.7
$41.44 CA$56.8
5.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.8 CA$71.0
$58.2 CA$79.7
-10.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.79 CA$65.5
$53.7 CA$73.6
-11.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.92 CA$21.81
$52.4 CA$71.8
-69.61%
Cinema Ticket
$10.95 CA$15.00
$12.66 CA$17.34
-13.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$889 CA$1,218
$885 CA$1,212
0.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K CA$21.9K
$16.1K CA$22.0K
-0.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.3 CA$74.4
$58.1 CA$79.6
-6.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.62 CA$55.7
$48.22 CA$66.1
-15.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.6 CA$123
$88.4 CA$121
1.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.6 CA$131
$106 CA$146
-10.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,502 CA$2,058
$1,396 CA$1,913
7.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,268 CA$1,737
$1,186 CA$1,625
6.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,267 CA$3,106
$2,293 CA$3,142
-1.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,883 CA$2,579
$1,859 CA$2,547
1.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,342 CA$5,949
$3,779 CA$5,178
14.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,174 CA$5,719
$3,509 CA$4,808
18.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ottawa
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,030 CA$5,521
$3,117 CA$4,271
29.28%
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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Calgary: April 14, 2026

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

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