Cost of living comparison

compared to
District of Columbia vs. Canada Cost of Living Summary

District of Columbia is 67.1% more expensive than Canada overall.

Restaurants
pay 37.3% more in District of Columbia
Groceries
pay 34.9% more in District of Columbia
Transportation
pay 22.4% more in District of Columbia
Housing
pay 57.4% more in District of Columbia
Childcare
pay 3.1 times more in District of Columbia
Entertainment and Sports
pay 60.8% more in District of Columbia
Clothing
pay 41.7% more in District of Columbia

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, restaurants, and groceries in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Canada. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.

District of Columbia vs. Canada Cost Breakdown

If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Canada, you would:

pay 37.3% more for restaurants

 
Canada
District of Columbia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.37
CA$23.65
$25.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.01
CA$14.46
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.00
CA$2.88
$2.78
 

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pay 34.9% more for groceries

 
Canada
District of Columbia
Bread
1 loaf
$2.48
CA$3.59
$4.34
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.30
CA$7.66
$7.84
 
Milk (1 gallon) $8.04
CA$11.61
$4.14
 

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pay 22.4% more for transportation

 
Canada
District of Columbia
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.35
CA$6.28
$3.66
 
Monthly public transit pass $65.88
CA$95.18
$75.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $24,555.94
CA$35,477.20
$35,699.74
 

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pay 57.4% more for housing

 
Canada
District of Columbia
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$60.95
CA$88.06
$66.46
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,220.42
CA$1,763.20
$2,582.95
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,114.36
CA$1,609.96
$2,028.70
 

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pay 3.1 times more for childcare

 
Canada
District of Columbia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $729.99
CA$1,054.65
$2,273.25
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,017.58
CA$17,362.40
$38,250.00
 

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pay 60.8% more for entertainment and sports

 
Canada
District of Columbia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.20
CA$7.51
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.58
CA$5.17
$5.55
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.91
CA$18.66
$11.75
 

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pay 41.7% more for clothing

 
Canada
District of Columbia
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$53.89
CA$77.85
$74.13
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.01
CA$56.36
$50.77
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$84.94
CA$122.71
$105.47
 

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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: January 2025
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