Cost of living comparison
compared to
Great Falls vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Great Falls is 7.6% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.2% more in Great Falls
- Groceries
-
pay 3.7% less in Great Falls
- Transportation
-
pay 20.0% less in Great Falls
- Housing
-
pay 8.6% more in Great Falls
- Childcare
-
pay 52.3% more in Great Falls
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.5% more in Great Falls
- Clothing
-
pay 0.6% less in Great Falls
The cost of childcare, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports in Great Falls are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including transportation, groceries, and clothing are lower in Great Falls.
Great Falls vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Great Falls instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 9.2% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Great Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.87
|
$11.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.22
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.77
|
$2.17
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$2.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Great Falls - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 3.7% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Great Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.77
|
$3.37
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.09
|
$6.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.97
|
$4.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.86
|
$3.19
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.94
|
$6.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.64
|
$2.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.68
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$1.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$0.83
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
$0.73
|
|
Ottawa vs. Great Falls - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 20.0% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Great Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.60
|
$3.06
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$134.31
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,803.54
|
$30,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.49
|
$13.44
|
|
Ottawa vs. Great Falls - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 8.6% more for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Great Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$69.04
|
$75.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,008.67
|
$1,466.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,699.13
|
$1,066.33
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$164.46
|
$113.28
|
|
Ottawa vs. Great Falls - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 52.3% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Great Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,089.93
|
$800.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,784.48
|
$32,000.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Great Falls - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 7.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Great Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.96
|
$6.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.18
|
$4.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.91
|
$7.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.68
|
$62.66
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.92
|
$11.99
|
|
Ottawa vs. Great Falls - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 0.6% less for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Great Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$73.05
|
$66.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.81
|
$32.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.44
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.48
|
$100.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Great Falls - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Canada vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Canada and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Great Falls or Ottawa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.