Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ottawa vs. North Charleston Cost of Living Summary
Ottawa is 4.8% cheaper than North Charleston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.9% less in Ottawa
- Groceries
-
pay 10.7% less in Ottawa
- Transportation
-
pay 23.4% more in Ottawa
- Housing
-
pay 29.2% less in Ottawa
- Childcare
-
pay 16.4% less in Ottawa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.6% more in Ottawa
- Clothing
-
pay 7.5% less in Ottawa
The cost of entertainment and sports and transportation in Ottawa are more expensive than in North Charleston. Expenses including housing, restaurants, childcare, groceries, and clothing are lower in Ottawa.
Ottawa vs. North Charleston Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ottawa instead of North Charleston, you would:
pay 23.9% less for restaurants
|
North Charleston
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.50
|
$17.99
CA$24.81
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.01
CA$15.18
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.00
|
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
|
North Charleston vs. Ottawa - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.7% less for groceries
|
North Charleston
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.67
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.93
|
$5.85
CA$8.07
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$8.65
CA$11.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.73
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.25
|
$5.74
CA$7.92
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$4.04
|
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
|
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.95
|
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.15
|
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
|
North Charleston vs. Ottawa - Cost of groceries
pay 23.4% more for transportation
|
North Charleston
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.99
|
$4.05
CA$5.59
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$97.12
CA$133.97
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$24,444.83
CA$33,717.98
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.53
|
$14.82
CA$20.44
|
|
North Charleston vs. Ottawa - Cost of transportation
pay 29.2% less for housing
|
North Charleston
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$83.60
|
$49.93
CA$68.87
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,026.67
|
$1,452.55
CA$2,003.58
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,500.00
|
$1,228.71
CA$1,694.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$170.33
|
$118.93
CA$164.04
|
|
North Charleston vs. Ottawa - Cost of housing
pay 16.4% less for childcare
|
North Charleston
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,366.67
|
$788.18
CA$1,087.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,400.00
|
$15,753.32
CA$21,729.34
|
|
North Charleston vs. Ottawa - Cost of childcare
pay 30.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Charleston
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.76
CA$7.94
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.92
|
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.00
|
$12.95
CA$17.86
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$17.49
|
$44.60
CA$61.52
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.00
|
$10.79
CA$14.89
|
|
North Charleston vs. Ottawa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.5% less for clothing
|
North Charleston
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.00
|
$52.82
CA$72.86
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.00
|
$38.91
CA$53.68
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.80
|
$87.10
CA$120.14
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.50
|
$92.91
CA$128.15
|
|
North Charleston 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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