Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Edmonton

For one person, living is cheaper in Edmonton: $2,181 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
Learn more

Edmonton Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ottawa and in Edmonton

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Ottawa vs $2,181 in Edmonton, rent included.

Ottawa $2,416
Edmonton $2,181

A couple spends around $3,537 per month in Ottawa vs $3,217 in Edmonton, rent included.

Ottawa $3,537
Edmonton $3,217

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in Ottawa vs $4,252 in Edmonton, rent included.

Ottawa $4,658
Edmonton $4,252

Ottawa costs about 11% more than Edmonton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ottawa and Edmonton sit above the global median – Ottawa by 78%, Edmonton by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 CA$24.91

$20.22 CA$28.58

-12.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 CA$111

$76.4 CA$108

2.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$9.87 CA$13.96

7.50%

Cappuccino

$4.04 CA$5.71

$3.96 CA$5.60

2.02%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$2.27 CA$3.22

-8.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$2.06 CA$2.91

-15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$5.86 CA$8.28

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.14

$6.48 CA$9.16

-0.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$1.62 CA$2.29

48.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$2.12 CA$3.00

39.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$3.06 CA$4.32

-5.88%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$3.43 CA$4.85

-5.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 CA$16.27

$10.74 CA$15.18

7.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.41

$11.21 CA$15.85

3.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 CA$26.90

$18.92 CA$26.75

0.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$4.15 CA$5.86

-9.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.35 CA$1.90

-5.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$4.37 CA$6.18

-10.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.10

$3.92 CA$5.54

-7.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$2.18 CA$3.09

17.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.84 CA$2.60

29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$2.42 CA$3.43

7.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.82 CA$2.57

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 CA$20.43

$14.23 CA$20.12

1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 CA$17.63

$11.33 CA$16.01

10.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$3.54 CA$5.00

-26.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.86 CA$4.05

11.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$2.69 CA$3.80

8.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 CA$134

$71.4 CA$101

32.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$2.86 CA$4.04

-6.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$1.40 CA$1.98

9.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 CA$26.98

$21.46 CA$30.34

-11.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.15 CA$1.63

6.96%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$27.9K CA$39.4K

-1.12%

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

$22.3K CA$31.5K

$20.5K CA$29.0K

8.65%

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

$139 CA$196

$233 CA$330

-40.44%

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

$37.37 CA$52.8

$43.26 CA$61.2

-13.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.3

$55.0 CA$77.7

-7.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 CA$68.0

$46.05 CA$65.1

4.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 CA$39.43

$18.11 CA$25.60

54.00%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 CA$17.93

$12.46 CA$17.62

1.77%

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

$928 CA$1,311

$757 CA$1,070

22.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$9,641 CA$13.6K

66.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$43.56 CA$61.6

31.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 CA$52.7

$47.08 CA$66.6

-20.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$87.3 CA$123

18.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 CA$138

$95.3 CA$135

2.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$1,094 CA$1,546

31.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$903 CA$1,276

34.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 CA$3,266

$1,706 CA$2,412

35.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,645

$1,437 CA$2,031

30.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,115

$2,205 CA$3,117

96.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,547 CA$6,428

$1,983 CA$2,803

129.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,730 CA$5,274

$3,499 CA$4,947

6.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.32

-3.70%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Last update for Edmonton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3%

Edmonton

$903 41.4% 25.7% $312

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$373 15.4%

Edmonton

$362 16.6% 2.8% $10

Eating Out

Ottawa

$278 11.5%

Edmonton

$299 13.7% 7.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$227 9.4%

Edmonton

$332 15.2% 45.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$133 5.5%

Edmonton

$123 5.6% 7.4% $9.9

Getting Around

Ottawa

$117 4.8%

Edmonton

$92 4.2% 21.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$73 3%

Edmonton

$71 3.3% 3.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in Ottawa versus $1,094 in Edmonton. 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 7% higher in Ottawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Ottawa versus $76.0 in Edmonton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $362 – making Edmonton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

2 h behind Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

1,010,899

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ottawa Edmonton 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ottawa vs Edmonton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,416 in Ottawa, $2,181 in Edmonton – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,623 per month in Ottawa and $3,271 in Edmonton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edmonton, 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 $2,416 in Ottawa and $2,181 in Edmonton. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Edmonton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Edmonton, where all-in costs run around $2,181, than in Ottawa at $2,416. In Edmonton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ottawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,181 in Edmonton to $2,416 in Ottawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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