Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids Cost of Living Summary
Ottawa is 6.4% more expensive than Cedar Rapids.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.7% more in Ottawa
- Groceries
-
pay 16.8% more in Ottawa
- Transportation
-
pay 51.4% more in Ottawa
- Housing
-
pay 9.2% more in Ottawa
- Childcare
-
pay 9.5% less in Ottawa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.9% less in Ottawa
- Clothing
-
pay 22.2% less in Ottawa
The cost of transportation, groceries, housing, and restaurants in Ottawa are more expensive than in Cedar Rapids. Expenses including clothing, childcare, and entertainment and sports are lower in Ottawa.
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ottawa instead of Cedar Rapids, you would:
pay 5.7% more for restaurants
|
Cedar Rapids
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.00
|
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.50
|
$11.01
CA$15.17
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.92
|
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.52
|
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
|
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.8% more for groceries
|
Cedar Rapids
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.64
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.12
|
$5.85
CA$8.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.07
|
$8.65
CA$11.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.83
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.93
|
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.25
|
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.54
|
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.41
|
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.11
CA$1.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
|
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
|
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa - Cost of groceries
pay 51.4% more for transportation
|
Cedar Rapids
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$4.05
CA$5.58
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$97.12
CA$133.83
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,383.69
|
$24,444.83
CA$33,683.76
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.41
|
$14.82
CA$20.42
|
|
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa - Cost of transportation
pay 9.2% more for housing
|
Cedar Rapids
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$71.33
|
$49.93
CA$68.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,140.00
|
$1,452.55
CA$2,001.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$750.00
|
$1,228.71
CA$1,693.10
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$157.02
|
$118.93
CA$163.88
|
|
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa - Cost of housing
pay 9.5% less for childcare
|
Cedar Rapids
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$968.00
|
$788.18
CA$1,086.07
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,795.00
|
$15,753.32
CA$21,707.29
|
|
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa - Cost of childcare
pay 6.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Cedar Rapids
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.50
|
$5.76
CA$7.93
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.46
|
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.26
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$100.50
|
$44.60
CA$61.46
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.75
|
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
|
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 22.2% less for clothing
|
Cedar Rapids
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.47
|
$52.82
CA$72.79
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$63.33
|
$38.91
CA$53.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$128.26
|
$87.10
CA$120.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$95.67
|
$92.91
CA$128.02
|
|
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa - Cost of clothing
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 Cedar Rapids. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.