Cost of Living in Ottawa, 🇨🇦 Canada - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $2,260 $1,604 $2,478 $1,276 $135

Utilities — $153 $277 $117 —

Internet & Mobile $102 $117 $175 $80 $6

Groceries $182 $401 $948 $328 $11

Transportation $131 $182 $474 $93 $26

Dining Out $1,166 $437 $583 $146 $80

Leisure Activities $437 $292 $510 $73 $33

Health Insurance $69 $58 $146 — $4

Visa & Legal Fees — $18 $36 — $5

Total $4,347 $3,262 $5,627 $2,113 $300

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $1,713.03 per month

Coworking Space $309.80 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $2,770.00 per month

Coliving Space $1,166.32 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $4.19 per cup

Beer $6.93 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $18.22 per meal

Fast Food Combo $11.30 per meal

Apples $3.83 per kg

Bread $3.03 per loaf

Milk $4.45 per liter

Rice $3.57 per kg

Chicken Fillets $13.49 per kg

Beef $15.31 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $16.04 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $83.83 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $2.08 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $3.28 per trip

Taxi per km $1.53 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $97.31 per month

Gasoline $1.30 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $13.12 per trip

Scooter Rental $8.75 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $47.38 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $67.06 per month

Gym Membership $49.57 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $21.87 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $40.09 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $12.76 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $69.25 per pair

Summer Dress $42.28 per dress

Running Shoes $102.05 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $32.80 per visit

Laundry $5.47 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $65.61 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $10.57 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 1.3718 CAD

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Ottawa cost of living