Cost of living comparison
compared to
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Cedar Rapids is 9.2% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.8% less in Cedar Rapids
- Groceries
-
pay 1.9% less in Cedar Rapids
- Transportation
-
pay 4.6% less in Cedar Rapids
- Housing
-
pay 3.6% more in Cedar Rapids
- Childcare
-
pay 11.6% more in Cedar Rapids
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 27.8% more in Cedar Rapids
- Clothing
-
pay 32.9% more in Cedar Rapids
The cost of clothing, entertainment and sports, childcare, and housing in Cedar Rapids are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including restaurants, transportation, and groceries are lower in Cedar Rapids.
Cedar Rapids vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Cedar Rapids instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 4.8% less for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.17
|
$11.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$1.92
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$1.52
|
|
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.9% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$2.64
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.06
|
$7.12
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.92
|
$3.07
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$2.83
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
$4.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$2.25
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$2.41
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$2.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.52
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$1.04
|
|
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of groceries
pay 4.6% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.58
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$133.83
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,683.76
|
$37,383.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.42
|
$18.41
|
|
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of transportation
pay 3.6% more for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.80
|
$71.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,001.55
|
$1,140.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,693.10
|
$750.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$163.88
|
$157.02
|
|
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of housing
pay 11.6% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,086.07
|
$968.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,707.29
|
$15,795.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of childcare
pay 27.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.93
|
$4.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$5.46
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
$9.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.46
|
$100.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
$12.75
|
|
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 32.9% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.79
|
$62.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.62
|
$63.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.02
|
$128.26
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.02
|
$95.67
|
|
Ottawa vs. Cedar Rapids - 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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