Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ottawa vs. Fort St John Cost of Living Summary
Ottawa is 20.5% more expensive than Fort St John.
- Restaurants
-
pay 21.4% more in Ottawa
- Groceries
-
pay 10.7% more in Ottawa
- Transportation
-
pay 72.7% more in Ottawa
- Housing
-
pay 57.0% more in Ottawa
- Childcare
-
pay 9.8% more in Ottawa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.6% less in Ottawa
- Clothing
-
pay 18.5% less in Ottawa
The cost of transportation, housing, restaurants, groceries, and childcare in Ottawa are more expensive than in Fort St John. Expenses including clothing and entertainment and sports are lower in Ottawa.
Ottawa vs. Fort St John Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ottawa instead of Fort St John, you would:
pay 21.4% more for restaurants
|
Fort St John
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.63
CA$18.85
|
$17.99
CA$24.87
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.33
CA$12.90
|
$11.01
CA$15.22
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.79
CA$2.48
|
$2.00
CA$2.77
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.26
CA$1.74
|
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
|
Fort St John vs. Ottawa - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.7% more for groceries
|
Fort St John
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.23
CA$4.47
|
$2.73
CA$3.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.23
CA$4.47
|
$5.85
CA$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.69
CA$12.02
|
$8.65
CA$11.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.70
CA$5.12
|
$3.52
CA$4.86
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.45
CA$7.53
|
$5.74
CA$7.94
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.28
CA$3.15
|
$1.91
CA$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.29
CA$0.40
|
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.71
CA$2.36
|
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.62
CA$2.25
|
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.28
CA$3.15
|
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
CA$1.80
|
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
|
Fort St John vs. Ottawa - Cost of groceries
pay 72.7% more for transportation
|
Fort St John
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
CA$6.53
|
$4.05
CA$5.60
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$28.70
CA$39.69
|
$97.12
CA$134.31
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$24,444.83
CA$33,803.54
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.79
CA$21.83
|
$14.82
CA$20.49
|
|
Fort St John vs. Ottawa - Cost of transportation
pay 57.0% more for housing
|
Fort St John
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.39
CA$87.65
|
$49.93
CA$69.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$741.51
CA$1,025.40
|
$1,452.55
CA$2,008.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$717.59
CA$992.32
|
$1,228.71
CA$1,699.13
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$65.34
CA$90.36
|
$118.93
CA$164.46
|
|
Fort St John vs. Ottawa - Cost of housing
pay 9.8% more for childcare
|
Fort St John
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$717.59
CA$992.32
|
$788.18
CA$1,089.93
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$15,753.32
CA$21,784.48
|
|
Fort St John vs. Ottawa - Cost of childcare
pay 9.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Fort St John
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.37
CA$8.81
|
$5.76
CA$7.96
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.19
CA$5.79
|
$3.74
CA$5.18
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.35
CA$19.85
|
$12.95
CA$17.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.54
CA$75.42
|
$44.60
CA$61.68
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.76
CA$14.88
|
$10.79
CA$14.92
|
|
Fort St John vs. Ottawa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.5% less for clothing
|
Fort St John
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$71.72
CA$99.18
|
$52.82
CA$73.05
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.29
CA$65.39
|
$38.91
CA$53.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$82.52
CA$114.12
|
$87.10
CA$120.44
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$143.52
CA$198.46
|
$92.91
CA$128.48
|
|
Fort St John 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:
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 Fort St John. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.