Ottawa at a glance
- Ottawa ranks 6th of 10 priced cities in Canada on cost: $2,102 a month in essentials, 38% above Quebec City, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $3,626 covers that 1.7×.
- 98.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at census subdivision level.
- PM2.5 averages 7.6 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 Canada cities we track, so every row says whether Ottawa is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $2,102 | $2,054 | $48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,245 | $1,164 | $80 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,495 | $1,412 | $82 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $203 | $204 | $0 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $376 | $374 | $2 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $182 | $185 | $3 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $96 | $78 | $18 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $3,626 | $3,036 | $589 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,918 | $1,816 | $102 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $2,295 | $2,242 | $52 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Ottawa, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $17.74 | $17.74 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $72.98 | $71.97 | $1.01 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $10.64 | $10.64 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $4.17 | $3.96 | $0.21 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $5.68 | $5.68 | same |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $6.65 | $6.39 | $0.26 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $2.06 | $2.12 | $0.06 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $1.70 | $1.71 | $0.01 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $2.32 | $2.20 | $0.12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $3.04 | $2.87 | $0.17 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $3.36 | $3.67 | $0.31 |
| Eggs, 12 | $3.32 | $3.54 | $0.23 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $10.07 | $10.65 | $0.58 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $11.14 | $11.43 | $0.29 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.82 | $4.05 | $0.23 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.30 | $1.40 | $0.09 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $3.72 | $3.96 | $0.24 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.49 | $2.49 | same |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.79 | $2.75 | $0.04 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.59 | $1.59 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $2.87 | $2.57 | $0.30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $95.80 | $77.88 | $17.92 |
| Taxi start | $2.70 | $2.91 | $0.21 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.49 | $1.41 | $0.08 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.14 | $1.23 | $0.09 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $135.65 | $134.80 | $0.85 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $45.87 | $53.62 | $7.75 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $35.43 | $38.20 | $2.77 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $48.28 | $42.95 | $5.33 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $11.35 | $11.61 | $0.26 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Ottawa has 98.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (census subdivision level). That is the 8th-highest of 10 Canada cities we track. Canada's national figure is 104.8, so Ottawa runs 6 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Ottawa ranks against every city we track
Ottawa sits ahead of 85% of the 545 cities we track on local salary. On clean air it is ahead of 78% of 898. Its weakest measure is city-centre rent, ahead of only 16% of 553.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Ottawa sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Arctic.gnome assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY 2.5.
