Cost of living comparison
compared to
Nelson BC vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Nelson BC is 0.8% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.5% less in Nelson BC
- Groceries
-
pay 10.6% less in Nelson BC
- Transportation
-
pay 9.9% less in Nelson BC
- Housing
-
pay 1.0% less in Nelson BC
- Childcare
-
pay 18.4% more in Nelson BC
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.4% more in Nelson BC
- Clothing
-
pay 7.1% more in Nelson BC
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Nelson BC are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including groceries, transportation, restaurants, and housing are lower in Nelson BC.
Nelson BC vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Nelson BC instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 6.5% less for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Nelson BC
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.87
|
$14.35
CA$19.85
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.22
|
$8.97
CA$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.77
|
$2.08
CA$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$1.70
CA$2.35
|
|
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.6% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Nelson BC
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.77
|
$3.02
CA$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.09
|
$5.14
CA$7.10
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.97
|
$7.44
CA$10.29
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.86
|
$3.64
CA$5.03
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.94
|
$6.12
CA$8.46
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.64
|
$1.42
CA$1.97
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.29
CA$0.40
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$0.72
CA$0.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$1.97
CA$2.72
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$1.31
CA$1.81
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
$1.25
CA$1.73
|
|
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC - Cost of groceries
pay 9.9% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Nelson BC
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.60
|
$4.52
CA$6.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$134.31
|
$32.29
CA$44.65
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,803.54
|
$24,382.26
CA$33,717.01
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.49
|
$17.18
CA$23.76
|
|
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC - Cost of transportation
pay 1.0% less for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Nelson BC
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$69.04
|
$57.41
CA$79.39
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,008.67
|
$1,363.42
CA$1,885.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,699.13
|
$1,148.14
CA$1,587.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$164.46
|
$111.30
CA$153.91
|
|
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC - Cost of housing
pay 18.4% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Nelson BC
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,089.93
|
$1,040.51
CA$1,438.86
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,784.48
|
$16,504.56
CA$22,823.34
|
|
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC - Cost of childcare
pay 8.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Nelson BC
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.96
|
$5.02
CA$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.18
|
$3.95
CA$5.46
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.91
|
$14.35
CA$19.85
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.68
|
$58.84
CA$81.37
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.92
|
$11.48
CA$15.88
|
|
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.1% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Nelson BC
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$73.05
|
$50.23
CA$69.46
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.81
|
$40.66
CA$56.23
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.44
|
$84.52
CA$116.87
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.48
|
$122.59
CA$169.52
|
|
Ottawa vs. Nelson BC - 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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