Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ottawa vs. Columbia Cost of Living Summary
Ottawa is 10.6% more expensive than Columbia.
Ottawa vs. Columbia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ottawa instead of Columbia, you would:
pay 6.1% less for restaurants
Columbia | Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.00 | $17.99 CA$25.53 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.00 | $11.01 CA$15.62 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.45 | $2.00 CA$2.84 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.00 | $1.56 CA$2.21 | |
Columbia vs. Ottawa - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.7% more for groceries
Columbia | Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.40 | $2.73 CA$3.87 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.37 | $5.85 CA$8.30 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.34 | $8.65 CA$12.28 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.97 | $3.52 CA$4.99 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.08 | $5.74 CA$8.15 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.88 | $1.91 CA$2.71 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.59 | $0.60 CA$0.85 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.36 | $1.63 CA$2.31 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.99 | $1.67 CA$2.37 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.70 | $1.11 CA$1.57 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.16 | $1.46 CA$2.07 | |
Columbia vs. Ottawa - Cost of groceries
pay 12.7% more for transportation
Columbia | Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.89 | $4.05 CA$5.75 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? | $97.12 CA$137.86 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $37,111.37 | $24,444.83 CA$34,698.22 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $11.20 | $14.82 CA$21.04 | |
Columbia vs. Ottawa - Cost of transportation
pay 16.8% more for housing
Columbia | Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $59.80 | $49.93 CA$70.87 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,025.00 | $1,452.55 CA$2,061.83 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $783.33 | $1,228.71 CA$1,744.10 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $139.63 | $118.93 CA$168.81 | |
Columbia vs. Ottawa - Cost of housing
pay 7.0% less for childcare
Columbia | Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,200.00 | $788.18 CA$1,118.78 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,100.00 | $15,753.32 CA$22,361.05 | |
Columbia vs. Ottawa - Cost of childcare
pay 26.5% more for entertainment and sports
Columbia | Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $4.50 | $5.76 CA$8.17 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.60 | $3.74 CA$5.31 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $7.00 | $12.95 CA$18.38 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $27.22 | $44.60 CA$63.31 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.50 | $10.79 CA$15.32 | |
Columbia vs. Ottawa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.6% more for clothing
Columbia | Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $50.00 | $52.82 CA$74.98 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $33.33 | $38.91 CA$55.24 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $79.17 | $87.10 CA$123.63 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $87.50 | $92.91 CA$131.88 | |
Columbia 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: July 2026
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