Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Ottawa: $2,416 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ottawa and in Toronto

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 Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Ottawa vs $2,610 in Toronto, rent included.

Ottawa $2,416
Toronto $2,610

A couple spends around $3,537 per month in Ottawa vs $3,727 in Toronto, rent included.

Ottawa $3,537
Toronto $3,727

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in Ottawa vs $4,844 in Toronto, rent included.

Ottawa $4,658
Toronto $4,844

Ottawa is about 7% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ottawa and Toronto sit above the global median – Ottawa by 78%, Toronto by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 CA$24.91

$17.59 CA$24.87

0.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 CA$111

$78.8 CA$111

-0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$10.73 CA$15.16

-1.12%

Cappuccino

$4.04 CA$5.71

$4.09 CA$5.78

-1.22%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$2.10 CA$2.97

-0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.72 CA$2.43

1.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$6.36 CA$8.99

-10.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.14

$7.08 CA$10.01

-8.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$2.54 CA$3.59

-5.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$2.72 CA$3.85

8.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$2.18 CA$3.09

32.11%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$3.63 CA$5.13

-11.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 CA$16.27

$9.46 CA$13.37

21.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.41

$11.54 CA$16.32

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 CA$26.90

$14.37 CA$20.32

32.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$3.70 CA$5.23

1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.19 CA$1.68

6.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$3.46 CA$4.90

12.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.10

$4.22 CA$5.97

-14.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$1.79 CA$2.52

43.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.65 CA$2.33

44.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$2.20 CA$3.11

18.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.26 CA$1.78

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 CA$20.43

$13.97 CA$19.75

3.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 CA$17.63

$14.20 CA$20.07

-12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$2.25 CA$3.18

16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.53 CA$3.58

25.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$2.32 CA$3.28

26.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 CA$134

$112 CA$158

-15.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$3.06 CA$4.33

-12.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$1.22 CA$1.72

25.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 CA$26.98

$21.69 CA$30.66

-12.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.21 CA$1.72

1.65%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$26.1K CA$37.0K

5.48%

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

$22.3K CA$31.5K

$21.1K CA$29.9K

5.45%

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

$139 CA$196

$120 CA$169

16.19%

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

$37.37 CA$52.8

$32.21 CA$45.54

16.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.3

$48.88 CA$69.1

4.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 CA$68.0

$39.34 CA$55.6

22.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 CA$39.43

$23.58 CA$33.34

18.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 CA$17.93

$12.58 CA$17.79

0.79%

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

$928 CA$1,311

$832 CA$1,176

11.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$23.6K CA$33.4K

-32.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$52.3 CA$73.9

9.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 CA$52.7

$39.44 CA$55.8

-5.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$99.0 CA$140

4.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 CA$138

$122 CA$172

-20.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$1,631 CA$2,306

-11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$1,448 CA$2,048

-16.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 CA$3,266

$2,737 CA$3,869

-15.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,645

$2,129 CA$3,010

-12.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,115

$8,206 CA$11.6K

-47.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,547 CA$6,428

$6,838 CA$9,666

-33.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,730 CA$5,274

$3,520 CA$4,976

5.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.47

-6.94%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 19.2% $234

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$373 15.4%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 8% $30

Eating Out

Ottawa

$278 11.5%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 1.8% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$227 9.4%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 11.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$133 5.5%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 5.9% $7.9

Getting Around

Ottawa

$117 4.8%

Toronto

$130 5% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$73 3%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 12.2% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in Ottawa versus $1,631 in Toronto. 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 6% higher in Ottawa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Ottawa versus $79.0 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $373 in Ottawa vs $343 in Toronto – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

Same time as Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

2,731,571

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Ottawa Toronto 350 km

From you

Ottawa
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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

Ottawa vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,416 in Ottawa, $2,610 in Toronto – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,623 per month in Ottawa and $3,916 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ottawa, 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 $2,610 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Ottawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ottawa, where all-in costs run around $2,416, than in Toronto at $2,610. In Ottawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto 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 $2,416 in Ottawa to $2,610 in Toronto. 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 Ottawa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.