Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Ottawa Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Ottawa

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Vancouver is 5.4% more expensive than Ottawa without rent, and 13.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Vancouver is 3.8% more expensive than Ottawa without rent, and 23% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.22 CA$24.81
$18.04 CA$24.56
1.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.6 CA$108
$74.6 CA$102
6.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.17 CA$15.21
$11.17 CA$15.2
-
Cappuccino
$3.97 CA$5.4
$3.98 CA$5.41
-0.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$2.89
$2.05 CA$2.79
3.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 CA$2.41
$1.72 CA$2.34
2.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.8 CA$7.9
$6.03 CA$8.21
-3.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.29 CA$9.93
$6.56 CA$8.93
11.13%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.3 CA$3.14
$2.29 CA$3.11
0.44%
White Bread (500g)
$3.14 CA$4.28
$2.82 CA$3.84
11.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.75 CA$5.1
$3.19 CA$4.34
17.55%
Eggs
$4.54 CA$6.18
$3.56 CA$4.84
27.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.66 CA$17.24
$11.14 CA$15.17
13.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.79 CA$18.77
$13.21 CA$17.98
4.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.89 CA$21.63
$15.6 CA$21.23
1.86%
Apples (1kg)
$4.25 CA$5.78
$4.37 CA$5.95
-2.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 CA$2.07
$1.41 CA$1.91
7.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 CA$5.28
$3.39 CA$4.62
14.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.93 CA$6.7
$3.6 CA$4.9
36.94%
Potato (1kg)
$3.03 CA$4.12
$2.48 CA$3.37
22.18%
Onion (1kg)
$3.08 CA$4.19
$3.18 CA$4.32
-3.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.64 CA$3.6
$2.19 CA$2.99
20.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 CA$2.49
$1.55 CA$2.11
18.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.62 CA$21.26
$13.75 CA$18.71
13.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.51 CA$21.11
$13.14 CA$17.89
18.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.06 CA$4.17
$2.45 CA$3.33
24.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 CA$5.01
$3.27 CA$4.45
12.54%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.26
$2.88 CA$3.92
-17.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$84.5 CA$115
$101 CA$137
-16.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 CA$4.97
$2.74 CA$3.73
33.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.5 CA$2.04
$1.43 CA$1.94
4.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.81 CA$36.49
$20.15 CA$27.42
33.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 CA$1.76
$1.1 CA$1.49
17.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.7K CA$35K
$25.2K CA$34.3K
2.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.4K CA$27.7K
$21.6K CA$29.4K
-5.74%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.5 CA$124
$162 CA$220
-43.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.49 CA$55.1
$43.75 CA$59.6
-7.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$61.1 CA$83.2
$52.7 CA$71.8
15.93%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.44 CA$61.9
$47.18 CA$64.2
-3.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.04 CA$21.84
$16.19 CA$22.04
-0.93%
Cinema Ticket
$12.18 CA$16.58
$10.84 CA$14.75
12.36%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,150 CA$1,566
$918 CA$1,250
25.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.6K CA$25.3K
$16K CA$21.8K
16.32%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.1 CA$87.3
$54.3 CA$74
18.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.55 CA$57.9
$40.74 CA$55.5
4.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.8 CA$133
$91.6 CA$125
6.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 CA$161
$94.5 CA$129
24.84%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,985 CA$2,703
$1,480 CA$2,014
34.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 CA$2,198
$1,253 CA$1,705
28.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,454 CA$4,701
$2,291 CA$3,119
50.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,767 CA$3,767
$1,878 CA$2,556
47.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,449 CA$12.9K
$5,000 CA$6,805
89.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,128 CA$9,703
$3,196 CA$4,351
123.02%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Vancouver
Ottawa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,287 CA$4,474
$3,302 CA$4,495
-0.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.61
5.48
2.37%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Vancouver: November 4, 2025

Last update for Ottawa: November 3, 2025

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