Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ottawa vs. Bellingham Cost of Living Summary
Ottawa is 9.9% cheaper than Bellingham.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.2% less in Ottawa
- Groceries
-
pay 8.3% less in Ottawa
- Transportation
-
pay 33.5% more in Ottawa
- Housing
-
pay 17.4% less in Ottawa
- Childcare
-
pay 45.6% less in Ottawa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.2% less in Ottawa
- Clothing
-
pay 8.8% more in Ottawa
The cost of transportation and clothing in Ottawa are more expensive than in Bellingham. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Ottawa.
Ottawa vs. Bellingham Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ottawa instead of Bellingham, you would:
pay 17.2% less for restaurants
|
Bellingham
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$17.99
CA$24.87
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.21
|
$11.01
CA$15.22
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.00
CA$2.77
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
|
Bellingham vs. Ottawa - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 8.3% less for groceries
|
Bellingham
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.13
|
$2.73
CA$3.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.49
|
$5.85
CA$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.33
|
$8.65
CA$11.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.70
|
$3.52
CA$4.86
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.18
|
$5.74
CA$7.94
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.57
|
$1.91
CA$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
|
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
|
Bellingham vs. Ottawa - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 33.5% more for transportation
|
Bellingham
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.21
|
$4.05
CA$5.60
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$97.12
CA$134.31
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,656.56
|
$24,444.83
CA$33,803.54
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$31.13
|
$14.82
CA$20.49
|
|
Bellingham vs. Ottawa - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 17.4% less for housing
|
Bellingham
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$73.98
|
$49.93
CA$69.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,618.40
|
$1,452.55
CA$2,008.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,415.00
|
$1,228.71
CA$1,699.13
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$137.80
|
$118.93
CA$164.46
|
|
Bellingham vs. Ottawa - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 45.6% less for childcare
|
Bellingham
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,450.00
|
$788.18
CA$1,089.93
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$15,753.32
CA$21,784.48
|
|
Bellingham vs. Ottawa - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 23.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Bellingham
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$5.76
CA$7.96
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.84
|
$3.74
CA$5.18
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$12.95
CA$17.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.75
|
$44.60
CA$61.68
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$10.79
CA$14.92
|
|
Bellingham vs. Ottawa - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 8.8% more for clothing
|
Bellingham
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.00
|
$52.82
CA$73.05
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$28.50
|
$38.91
CA$53.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$96.67
|
$87.10
CA$120.44
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.67
|
$92.91
CA$128.48
|
|
Bellingham vs. Ottawa - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Canada.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Canada.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Ottawa or Bellingham. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.