Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa City vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Iowa City is 12.1% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.2% more in Iowa City
- Groceries
-
pay 12.1% less in Iowa City
- Transportation
-
pay 10.2% less in Iowa City
- Housing
-
pay 14.5% more in Iowa City
- Childcare
-
pay 58.5% more in Iowa City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.1% more in Iowa City
- Clothing
-
pay 23.8% more in Iowa City
The cost of childcare, clothing, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Iowa City are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including groceries and transportation are lower in Iowa City.
Iowa City vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa City instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 3.2% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$25.16
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.40
|
$9.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.80
|
$2.62
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.18
|
$1.81
|
|
Ottawa vs. Iowa City - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.1% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.82
|
$2.68
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.18
|
$4.65
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$12.10
|
$3.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.92
|
$4.13
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$8.03
|
$4.77
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.67
|
$1.52
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.84
|
$0.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.28
|
$1.24
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.33
|
$2.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.55
|
$0.92
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.04
|
$1.29
|
|
Ottawa vs. Iowa City - Cost of groceries
pay 10.2% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.66
|
$3.01
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$135.85
|
$16.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$34,192.21
|
$29,454.22
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.73
|
$21.90
|
|
Ottawa vs. Iowa City - Cost of transportation
pay 14.5% more for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$69.84
|
$72.85
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,031.76
|
$1,231.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,718.66
|
$1,100.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$166.35
|
$163.91
|
|
Ottawa vs. Iowa City - Cost of housing
pay 58.5% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,102.46
|
$1,266.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$22,034.96
|
$24,601.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Iowa City - Cost of childcare
pay 7.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$8.05
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.24
|
$5.38
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$18.11
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$62.39
|
$49.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$15.09
|
$13.50
|
|
Ottawa vs. Iowa City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.8% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$73.89
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$54.43
|
$48.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$121.83
|
$100.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$129.96
|
$115.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Iowa City - 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
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 Iowa City or Ottawa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.