Cost of living comparison
Ottawa is 19.2% cheaper than Chicago.
If you lived in Ottawa instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 24.6% less for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$17.96
CA$25.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.34
|
$10.78
CA$15.20
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$2.17
CA$3.06
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$1.53
CA$2.16
|
|
pay 3.6% less for groceries
|
Chicago
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.19
|
$2.65
CA$3.74
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.87
|
$6.28
CA$8.86
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$9.92
CA$13.99
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.75
|
$3.31
CA$4.67
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$5.89
CA$8.30
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$1.93
CA$2.73
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$0.64
CA$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.44
CA$2.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$1.69
CA$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.20
CA$1.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$1.31
CA$1.84
|
|
pay 7.4% more for transportation
|
Chicago
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
|
$4.15
CA$5.85
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$92.50
CA$130.45
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$24,412.64
CA$34,425.48
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$18.80
CA$26.50
|
|
pay 16.6% less for housing
|
Chicago
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.52
|
$50.21
CA$70.81
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,360.96
|
$1,425.51
CA$2,010.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,512.92
|
$1,269.57
CA$1,790.28
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.63
|
$131.33
CA$185.20
|
|
pay 56.2% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,475.00
|
$999.72
CA$1,409.76
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,300.00
|
$19,936.07
CA$28,112.85
|
|
pay 28.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$5.75
CA$8.11
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.30
|
$3.71
CA$5.23
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$12.93
CA$18.24
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.00
|
$46.27
CA$65.25
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$10.78
CA$15.20
|
|
pay 12.3% less for clothing
|
Chicago
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.98
|
$57.20
CA$80.65
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.67
|
$44.39
CA$62.60
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$97.78
CA$137.88
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$110.86
CA$156.32
|
|
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