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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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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