Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Ottawa 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Ottawa is 3.6% lower than in Calgary (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Ottawa is 2.7% lower than in Calgary
Rent Prices in Ottawa are 0.8% lower than in Calgary
Restaurant Prices in Ottawa are 11.2% higher than in Calgary
Groceries Prices in Ottawa are 5.9% lower than in Calgary
Local Purchasing Power in Ottawa is 13.4% lower than in Calgary
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 26.00 C$ 28.00 C$      +7.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 C$ 120.00 C$      +20.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 14.00 C$ 14.75 C$      +5.4 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 7.50 C$ 8.00 C$      +6.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.25 C$ 9.00 C$      +9.1 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.21 C$ 5.36 C$      +2.9 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.85 C$ 3.25 C$      +14.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.40 C$ 2.23 C$      -6.9 %
Markets
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 9.99 C$ 10.99 C$      +10.1 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.13 C$ 3.41 C$      +8.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.30 C$ 2.48 C$      +7.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 5.39 C$ 4.31 C$      -20.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 8.99 C$ 8.99 C$      -0.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 8.34 C$ 7.72 C$      -7.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.35 C$ 8.81 C$      -5.8 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.71 C$ 2.59 C$      -4.4 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.88 C$ 0.85 C$      -3.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.37 C$ 1.92 C$      -19.0 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.58 C$ 2.45 C$      -5.0 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.62 C$ 1.65 C$      +2.1 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.40 C$ 1.80 C$      +27.8 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.67 C$ 3.11 C$      -15.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.59 C$ 2.45 C$      -5.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 19.99 C$ 20.00 C$      +0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 3.67 C$ 3.45 C$      -6.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 5.13 C$ 3.73 C$      -27.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 20.00 C$ 17.25 C$      -13.8 %
Transportation
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.70 C$ 3.79 C$      +2.6 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 115.00 C$ 128.75 C$      +12.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.50 C$ 4.12 C$      -8.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.22 C$ 4.46 C$      +38.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 39.06 C$ 45.00 C$      +15.2 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 5.58 C$ 5.76 C$      +3.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 33,978.00 C$ 33,978.00 C$      0.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 28,802.42 C$ 26,831.51 C$      -6.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 293.58 C$ 236.50 C$      -19.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 63.45 C$ 55.07 C$      -13.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 91.41 C$ 71.91 C$      -21.3 %
Sports And Leisure
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 74.81 C$ 66.02 C$      -11.7 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 47.64 C$ 26.89 C$      -43.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 18.00 C$ 15.00 C$      -16.7 %
Childcare
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,244.21 C$ 1,421.43 C$      +14.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 23,742.86 C$ 28,580.76 C$      +20.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 77.37 C$ 78.32 C$      +1.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 61.67 C$ 65.92 C$      +6.9 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 117.72 C$ 136.84 C$      +16.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 148.95 C$ 153.65 C$      +3.2 %
Rent Per Month
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,039.21 C$ 1,962.88 C$      -3.7 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,640.44 C$ 1,790.46 C$      +9.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,142.20 C$ 3,108.10 C$      -1.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,622.28 C$ 2,509.39 C$      -4.3 %
Buy Apartment Price
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 402.11 C$ 656.66 C$      +63.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 383.90 C$ 600.17 C$      +56.3 %
Salaries And Financing
Calgary Edit Ottawa Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,057.80 C$ 4,263.92 C$      -15.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.41 6.50      +1.5 %
Last update: June 2024June 2024
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