Cost of living comparison
compared to
East Lansing vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
East Lansing is 1.8% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.1% more in East Lansing
- Groceries
-
pay 0.8% less in East Lansing
- Transportation
-
pay 7.2% less in East Lansing
- Housing
-
pay 2.7% less in East Lansing
- Childcare
-
pay 35.4% more in East Lansing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.8% more in East Lansing
- Clothing
-
pay 15.8% less in East Lansing
The cost of childcare, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in East Lansing are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including clothing, transportation, housing, and groceries are lower in East Lansing.
East Lansing vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in East Lansing instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 2.1% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.81
|
$13.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.18
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$2.57
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$1.82
|
|
Ottawa vs. East Lansing - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.8% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$3.31
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.07
|
$6.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.94
|
$3.57
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$2.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.92
|
$5.25
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$2.08
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$2.65
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$2.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$0.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$1.13
|
|
Ottawa vs. East Lansing - Cost of groceries
pay 7.2% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.59
|
$3.30
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$133.97
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,717.98
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.44
|
$13.68
|
|
Ottawa vs. East Lansing - Cost of transportation
pay 2.7% less for housing
|
Ottawa
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.87
|
$52.14
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,003.58
|
$1,233.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,694.82
|
$1,066.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$164.04
|
$134.29
|
|
Ottawa vs. East Lansing - Cost of housing
pay 35.4% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,087.17
|
$1,294.79
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,729.34
|
$16,800.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. East Lansing - Cost of childcare
pay 1.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.94
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.86
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.52
|
$36.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.89
|
$12.50
|
|
Ottawa vs. East Lansing - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.8% less for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.86
|
$45.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.68
|
$31.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.14
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.15
|
$85.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. East Lansing - 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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