Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ann Arbor vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Ann Arbor is 17.7% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.8% more in Ann Arbor
- Groceries
-
pay 1.4% more in Ann Arbor
- Transportation
-
pay 8.9% less in Ann Arbor
- Housing
-
pay 17.5% more in Ann Arbor
- Childcare
-
pay 86.2% more in Ann Arbor
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.5% more in Ann Arbor
- Clothing
-
pay 1.4% more in Ann Arbor
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing in Ann Arbor are more expensive than in Ottawa. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ann Arbor instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 14.8% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.87
|
$16.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.22
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.77
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$2.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.4% more for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.77
|
$3.30
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.09
|
$6.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.97
|
$3.04
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.86
|
$3.40
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.94
|
$4.35
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.64
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.58
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$2.32
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$0.97
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
$1.37
|
|
Ottawa vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of groceries
pay 8.9% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.60
|
$3.37
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$134.31
|
$45.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,803.54
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.49
|
$15.43
|
|
Ottawa vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of transportation
pay 17.5% more for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$69.04
|
$70.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,008.67
|
$1,829.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,699.13
|
$1,344.44
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$164.46
|
$110.66
|
|
Ottawa vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of housing
pay 86.2% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,089.93
|
$1,933.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,784.48
|
$20,000.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of childcare
pay 11.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.96
|
$6.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.18
|
$4.84
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.91
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.68
|
$56.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.92
|
$12.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.4% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$73.05
|
$51.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.81
|
$37.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.44
|
$91.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.48
|
$101.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Ann Arbor - 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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