Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Ottawa 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Ottawa is 6.4% lower than in Toronto (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Ottawa is 11.3% lower than in Toronto
Rent Prices in Ottawa are 20.8% lower than in Toronto
Restaurant Prices in Ottawa are 3.3% lower than in Toronto
Groceries Prices in Ottawa are 4.3% lower than in Toronto
Local Purchasing Power in Ottawa is 16.8% higher than in Toronto
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 C$ 25.00 C$      0.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 112.50 C$ 100.00 C$      -11.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 15.00 C$ 15.30 C$      +2.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 C$ 8.00 C$      0.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 9.00 C$ 9.00 C$      0.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.29 C$ 5.37 C$      +1.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.95 C$ 2.86 C$      -2.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.25 C$ 2.29 C$      +1.5 %
Markets
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 14.18 C$ 11.97 C$      -15.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.44 C$ 3.39 C$      -1.3 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.21 C$ 2.02 C$      -8.7 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.82 C$ 4.89 C$      +1.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 8.30 C$ 6.87 C$      -17.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 8.08 C$ 7.98 C$      -1.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 10.28 C$ 9.74 C$      -5.3 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.51 C$ 2.64 C$      +4.9 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.71 C$ 0.85 C$      +19.7 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.04 C$ 2.12 C$      +4.1 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.52 C$ 2.28 C$      -9.5 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.53 C$ 1.56 C$      +1.9 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.76 C$ 1.92 C$      +9.0 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.27 C$ 3.04 C$      -7.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.65 C$ 2.08 C$      -21.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 18.00 C$ 18.25 C$      +1.4 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 3.71 C$ 3.34 C$      -10.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.36 C$ 4.32 C$      -0.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 20.00 C$ 19.00 C$      -5.0 %
Transportation
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.35 C$ 4.00 C$      +19.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 156.00 C$ 135.00 C$      -13.5 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 5.00 C$ 3.80 C$      -24.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.22 C$ 3.38 C$      +5.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 35.00 C$ 27.00 C$      -22.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 5.72 C$ 5.76 C$      +0.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 34,087.00 C$ 33,978.00 C$      -0.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 28,990.96 C$ 29,845.47 C$      +2.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 159.83 C$ 218.86 C$      +36.9 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 50.82 C$ 58.42 C$      +15.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 73.47 C$ 71.04 C$      -3.3 %
Sports And Leisure
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 76.54 C$ 63.95 C$      -16.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 28.55 C$ 21.79 C$      -23.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 16.00 C$ 15.00 C$      -6.2 %
Childcare
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,537.77 C$ 1,230.48 C$      -20.0 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 24,619.21 C$ 21,896.91 C$      -11.1 %
Clothing And Shoes
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 78.19 C$ 73.42 C$      -6.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 53.37 C$ 55.03 C$      +3.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 120.53 C$ 122.32 C$      +1.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 156.03 C$ 129.14 C$      -17.2 %
Rent Per Month
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,468.04 C$ 2,029.82 C$      -17.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,107.29 C$ 1,734.48 C$      -17.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,036.23 C$ 3,136.82 C$      -22.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,364.31 C$ 2,582.68 C$      -23.2 %
Buy Apartment Price
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,155.34 C$ 656.66 C$      -43.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 969.80 C$ 429.67 C$      -55.7 %
Salaries And Financing
Toronto Edit Ottawa Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,379.66 C$ 4,536.21 C$      +3.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 5.16 5.48      +6.3 %
Last update: 19 June 202519 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:615201