Cost of living comparison

 Bellingham (WA), United States
compared to
 Ottawa, Canada
Ottawa vs. Bellingham Cost of Living Summary

Ottawa is 3.7% more expensive than Bellingham.

Restaurants
pay 18.2% less in Ottawa
Groceries
pay 3.8% more in Ottawa
Transportation
pay 35.5% more in Ottawa
Housing
pay 8.9% less in Ottawa
Childcare
pay 31.1% less in Ottawa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.1% less in Ottawa
Clothing
pay 64.1% more in Ottawa

The cost of clothing, transportation, and groceries in Ottawa are more expensive than in Bellingham. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and housing are lower in Ottawa.

Ottawa vs. Bellingham Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Ottawa instead of Bellingham, you would:

pay 18.2% less for restaurants

 
Bellingham
Ottawa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.00
 
$17.96
CA$24.68
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.21
 
$10.78
CA$14.81
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.58
 
$2.17
CA$2.98

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pay 3.8% more for groceries

 
Bellingham
Ottawa
Bread
1 loaf
$3.71
 
$2.65
CA$3.64
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.04
 
$6.28
CA$8.63
Milk (1 gallon) $4.04
 
$9.92
CA$13.64

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pay 35.5% more for transportation

 
Bellingham
Ottawa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.35
 
$4.15
CA$5.70
Monthly public transit pass $30.00
 
$92.50
CA$127.11
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,656.56
 
$24,412.64
CA$33,544.19

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pay 8.9% less for housing

 
Bellingham
Ottawa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$70.00
 
$50.21
CA$69.00
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,613.14
 
$1,425.51
CA$1,958.73
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,345.62
 
$1,269.57
CA$1,744.45

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pay 31.1% less for childcare

 
Bellingham
Ottawa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,450.00
 
$999.72
CA$1,373.67
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $19,936.07
CA$27,393.16

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pay 19.1% less for entertainment and sports

 
Bellingham
Ottawa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.00
 
$5.75
CA$7.90
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.00
 
$3.71
CA$5.10
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.00
 
$12.93
CA$17.77

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pay 64.1% more for clothing

 
Bellingham
Ottawa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$55.00
 
$57.20
CA$78.59
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$12.00
 
$44.39
CA$60.99
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.00
 
$97.78
CA$134.35

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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