Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC Cost of Living Summary
Ottawa is 7.7% more expensive than Nelson BC.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.0% more in Ottawa
- Groceries
-
pay 24.3% more in Ottawa
- Transportation
-
pay 44.2% more in Ottawa
- Housing
-
pay 1.9% more in Ottawa
- Childcare
-
pay 14.4% less in Ottawa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.1% less in Ottawa
- Clothing
-
pay 5.0% less in Ottawa
The cost of transportation, groceries, restaurants, and housing in Ottawa are more expensive than in Nelson BC. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Ottawa.
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ottawa instead of Nelson BC, you would:
pay 9.0% more for restaurants
|
Nelson BC
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.35
CA$19.85
|
$17.99
CA$24.87
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.97
CA$12.40
|
$11.01
CA$15.22
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.08
CA$2.87
|
$2.00
CA$2.77
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.70
CA$2.35
|
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
|
Nelson BC vs. Ottawa - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.3% more for groceries
|
Nelson BC
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.02
CA$4.17
|
$2.73
CA$3.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.14
CA$7.10
|
$5.85
CA$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.44
CA$10.29
|
$8.65
CA$11.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.64
CA$5.03
|
$3.52
CA$4.86
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.12
CA$8.46
|
$5.74
CA$7.94
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.42
CA$1.97
|
$1.91
CA$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.29
CA$0.40
|
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
CA$0.99
|
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.97
CA$2.72
|
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.31
CA$1.81
|
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.25
CA$1.73
|
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
|
Nelson BC vs. Ottawa - Cost of groceries
pay 44.2% more for transportation
|
Nelson BC
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.52
CA$6.25
|
$4.05
CA$5.60
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$32.29
CA$44.65
|
$97.12
CA$134.31
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,382.26
CA$33,717.01
|
$24,444.83
CA$33,803.54
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.18
CA$23.76
|
$14.82
CA$20.49
|
|
Nelson BC vs. Ottawa - Cost of transportation
pay 1.9% more for housing
|
Nelson BC
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.41
CA$79.39
|
$49.93
CA$69.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,363.42
CA$1,885.41
|
$1,452.55
CA$2,008.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,148.14
CA$1,587.71
|
$1,228.71
CA$1,699.13
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$111.30
CA$153.91
|
$118.93
CA$164.46
|
|
Nelson BC vs. Ottawa - Cost of housing
pay 14.4% less for childcare
|
Nelson BC
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,040.51
CA$1,438.86
|
$788.18
CA$1,089.93
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,504.56
CA$22,823.34
|
$15,753.32
CA$21,784.48
|
|
Nelson BC vs. Ottawa - Cost of childcare
pay 6.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Nelson BC
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.02
CA$6.95
|
$5.76
CA$7.96
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.95
CA$5.46
|
$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 |
$58.84
CA$81.37
|
$44.60
CA$61.68
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.48
CA$15.88
|
$10.79
CA$14.92
|
|
Nelson BC vs. Ottawa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.0% less for clothing
|
Nelson BC
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.23
CA$69.46
|
$52.82
CA$73.05
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.66
CA$56.23
|
$38.91
CA$53.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.52
CA$116.87
|
$87.10
CA$120.44
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.59
CA$169.52
|
$92.91
CA$128.48
|
|
Nelson BC 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
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