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

🙂 Solo nomad: Ottawa is 0.9% cheaper than Montreal without rent, and 22.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ottawa is 1.7% more expensive than Montreal without rent, and 7.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.48 CA$25.32
$16.08 CA$22.03
14.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.7 CA$102
$73.8 CA$101
1.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.47 CA$15.72
$10.91 CA$14.95
5.13%
Cappuccino
$4.01 CA$5.50
$3.67 CA$5.03
9.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 CA$2.85
$2.06 CA$2.83
0.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 CA$2.28
$1.44 CA$1.97
15.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.82 CA$7.98
$6.21 CA$8.50
-6.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.65 CA$9.11
$6.44 CA$8.82
3.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CA$3.11
$2.34 CA$3.21
-2.99%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 CA$3.80
$3.23 CA$4.42
-14.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.20 CA$4.38
$3.84 CA$5.26
-16.67%
Eggs
$3.52 CA$4.83
$3.32 CA$4.54
6.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.35 CA$15.55
$16.35 CA$22.40
-30.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.09 CA$17.94
$11.92 CA$16.33
9.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.57 CA$21.32
$15.10 CA$20.69
3.11%
Apples (1kg)
$4.16 CA$5.71
$3.68 CA$5.04
13.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 CA$1.86
$1.69 CA$2.32
-19.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.40 CA$4.66
$4.12 CA$5.64
-17.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.82 CA$5.23
$4.29 CA$5.88
-10.96%
Potato (1kg)
$2.57 CA$3.52
$2.79 CA$3.82
-7.89%
Onion (1kg)
$3.19 CA$4.38
$2.70 CA$3.70
18.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 CA$3.02
$2.17 CA$2.97
1.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 CA$2.08
$1.78 CA$2.44
-14.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.19 CA$19.44
$13.22 CA$18.12
7.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.03 CA$15.12
$11.04 CA$15.12
-0.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.43
$2.97 CA$4.07
-15.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 CA$4.43
$3.44 CA$4.71
-6.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.87 CA$3.94
$2.80 CA$3.84
2.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.7 CA$135
$72.2 CA$98.9
36.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.85 CA$3.90
$3.67 CA$5.03
-22.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.02
$1.40 CA$1.92
5.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.56 CA$26.79
$34.07 CA$46.68
-42.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 CA$1.57
$1.21 CA$1.66
-4.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K CA$33.7K
$25.3K CA$34.7K
-2.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K CA$30.6K
$21.9K CA$30.0K
2.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 CA$220
$74.4 CA$102
116.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$43.60 CA$59.7
$36.64 CA$50.2
19.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.8 CA$71.0
$43.41 CA$59.5
19.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.79 CA$65.5
$43.20 CA$59.2
10.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.92 CA$21.81
$17.18 CA$23.54
-7.33%
Cinema Ticket
$10.95 CA$15.00
$10.99 CA$15.06
-0.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$889 CA$1,218
$614 CA$842
44.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K CA$21.9K
$5,855 CA$8,022
173.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.3 CA$74.4
$62.6 CA$85.8
-13.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.62 CA$55.7
$44.25 CA$60.6
-8.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.6 CA$123
$103 CA$142
-13.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.6 CA$131
$122 CA$167
-21.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,502 CA$2,058
$1,190 CA$1,631
26.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,268 CA$1,737
$946 CA$1,296
33.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,267 CA$3,106
$2,037 CA$2,791
11.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,883 CA$2,579
$1,548 CA$2,120
21.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,342 CA$5,949
$5,398 CA$7,395
-19.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,174 CA$5,719
$4,014 CA$5,499
4.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ottawa
Montreal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,030 CA$5,521
$3,013 CA$4,128
33.75%
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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Montreal: April 11, 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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