Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Ottawa: $2,416 a month against $2,662 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ottawa and in Vancouver

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Ottawa vs $2,662 in Vancouver, rent included.

Ottawa $2,416
Vancouver $2,662

A couple spends around $3,537 per month in Ottawa vs $3,916 in Vancouver, rent included.

Ottawa $3,537
Vancouver $3,916

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in Ottawa vs $5,170 in Vancouver, rent included.

Ottawa $4,658
Vancouver $5,170

Ottawa is about 9% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ottawa and Vancouver sit above the global median – Ottawa by 78%, Vancouver by 96%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 CA$24.91

$18.01 CA$25.46

-2.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 CA$111

$71.0 CA$100

10.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$10.83 CA$15.31

-2.03%

Cappuccino

$4.04 CA$5.71

$3.94 CA$5.56

2.54%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$2.13 CA$3.01

-2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.66 CA$2.34

5.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$5.73 CA$8.10

-0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.14

$6.40 CA$9.04

1.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$2.15 CA$3.04

11.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$2.55 CA$3.61

16.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$4.56 CA$6.45

-36.84%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$4.06 CA$5.74

-20.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 CA$16.27

$12.14 CA$17.17

-5.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.41

$13.23 CA$18.71

-12.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 CA$26.90

$20.24 CA$28.62

-6.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$4.05 CA$5.73

-7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.42 CA$2.00

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$3.97 CA$5.62

-1.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.10

$3.91 CA$5.53

-7.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$2.64 CA$3.74

-2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$2.82 CA$3.98

-15.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$2.48 CA$3.51

5.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.59 CA$2.24

-7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 CA$20.43

$15.30 CA$21.64

-5.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 CA$17.63

$14.32 CA$20.24

-12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$2.57 CA$3.63

1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.91 CA$4.12

9.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$2.55 CA$3.60

14.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 CA$134

$84.6 CA$120

11.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$2.64 CA$3.73

1.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$1.63 CA$2.31

-6.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 CA$26.98

$31.77 CA$44.91

-39.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.42 CA$2.01

-13.38%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$27.1K CA$38.3K

1.72%

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

$22.3K CA$31.5K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

3.10%

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

$139 CA$196

$81.3 CA$115

70.88%

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

$37.37 CA$52.8

$37.20 CA$52.6

0.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.3

$52.6 CA$74.4

-2.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 CA$68.0

$44.34 CA$62.7

8.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 CA$39.43

$12.37 CA$17.49

125.46%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 CA$17.93

$12.62 CA$17.85

0.48%

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

$928 CA$1,311

$1,093 CA$1,544

-15.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$20.0K CA$28.2K

-19.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$58.5 CA$82.7

-2.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 CA$52.7

$33.35 CA$47.14

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$96.3 CA$136

7.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 CA$138

$95.6 CA$135

2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$1,765 CA$2,495

-18.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$1,508 CA$2,132

-19.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 CA$3,266

$3,122 CA$4,414

-26.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,645

$2,469 CA$3,490

-24.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,115

$8,173 CA$11.6K

-47.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,547 CA$6,428

$6,354 CA$8,982

-28.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,730 CA$5,274

$3,592 CA$5,078

3.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.28

-2.80%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7% 24.2% $294

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$373 15.4%

Vancouver

$399 15% 7.1% $26

Eating Out

Ottawa

$278 11.5%

Vancouver

$280 10.5% 0.8% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$227 9.4%

Vancouver

$171 6.4% 24.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$133 5.5%

Vancouver

$128 4.8% 3.9% $5.2

Getting Around

Ottawa

$117 4.8%

Vancouver

$106 4% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$73 3%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 5.3% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in Ottawa versus $1,765 in Vancouver. 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 4% 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 $71.0 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $373 in Ottawa vs $399 in Vancouver – so Ottawa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

10:33 10:33 AM

3 h behind Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

631,486

💱 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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Between locations

Ottawa Vancouver 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,416 in Ottawa, $2,662 in Vancouver – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,623 per month in Ottawa and $3,992 in Vancouver. 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 $2,662 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 12% 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 Vancouver at $2,662. In Ottawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver 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 $2,662 in Vancouver. 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, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.