Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Montreal Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Montreal

😐 Solo nomad: Ottawa is 3% more expensive than Montreal without rent, and 17.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ottawa is 2.3% more expensive than Montreal without rent, and 11.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.07 CA$24.76
$16.03 CA$21.97
12.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.3 CA$100
$72.9 CA$99.9
0.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.07 CA$15.16
$11.17 CA$15.31
-0.90%
Cappuccino
$4.03 CA$5.52
$3.84 CA$5.26
4.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$2.96
$2.10 CA$2.88
2.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 CA$2.26
$1.51 CA$2.07
9.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.79 CA$7.93
$6.25 CA$8.56
-7.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.52 CA$8.93
$6.77 CA$9.27
-3.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.35 CA$3.22
$2.28 CA$3.12
3.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.67
$3.29 CA$4.50
-18.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.31 CA$4.53
$3.72 CA$5.09
-11.02%
Eggs
$3.66 CA$5.02
$3.34 CA$4.57
9.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.36 CA$15.56
$16.17 CA$22.15
-29.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.05 CA$17.88
$11.60 CA$15.89
12.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.86 CA$21.73
$15.50 CA$21.23
2.32%
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 CA$5.93
$3.67 CA$5.02
17.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 CA$1.86
$1.71 CA$2.34
-20.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.46 CA$4.73
$3.91 CA$5.36
-11.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.65 CA$5.00
$4.31 CA$5.91
-15.31%
Potato (1kg)
$2.58 CA$3.53
$2.77 CA$3.80
-6.86%
Onion (1kg)
$3.13 CA$4.29
$2.67 CA$3.65
17.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 CA$3.02
$2.26 CA$3.09
-2.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 CA$2.14
$1.70 CA$2.33
-8.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.88 CA$19.02
$13.13 CA$17.99
5.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.89 CA$14.92
$11.06 CA$15.15
-1.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 CA$3.45
$3.02 CA$4.13
-16.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 CA$4.45
$3.43 CA$4.70
-5.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 CA$4.09
$2.68 CA$3.67
11.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.6 CA$135
$74.2 CA$102
32.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.86 CA$3.92
$3.64 CA$4.98
-21.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.41 CA$1.93
$1.38 CA$1.90
2.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.90 CA$27.26
$33.85 CA$46.37
-41.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 CA$1.58
$1.21 CA$1.66
-4.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.5K CA$34.9K
$25.4K CA$34.8K
0.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K CA$29.8K
$21.8K CA$29.9K
-0.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$160 CA$220
$74.1 CA$101
116.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.92 CA$58.8
$36.68 CA$50.3
17.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.0 CA$72.6
$44.38 CA$60.8
19.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.48 CA$65.1
$42.45 CA$58.2
11.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.78 CA$21.61
$16.85 CA$23.09
-6.35%
Cinema Ticket
$11.18 CA$15.31
$10.87 CA$14.89
2.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$916 CA$1,255
$618 CA$847
48.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K CA$21.7K
$5,952 CA$8,155
166.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 CA$73.7
$63.1 CA$86.4
-14.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.71 CA$55.8
$44.52 CA$61.0
-8.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 CA$125
$101 CA$138
-9.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.1 CA$129
$123 CA$168
-23.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,475 CA$2,020
$1,196 CA$1,639
23.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 CA$1,741
$971 CA$1,330
30.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,338 CA$3,203
$2,040 CA$2,795
14.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 CA$2,577
$1,595 CA$2,185
17.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,404 CA$6,034
$5,204 CA$7,129
-15.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,123 CA$5,649
$3,996 CA$5,475
3.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,099 CA$5,616
$3,060 CA$4,192
33.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.48
5.01
9.38%

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

Last update for Ottawa: March 1, 2026

Last update for Montreal: 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

Similar cities