Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Charleston vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
North Charleston is 20.5% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 34.7% more in North Charleston
- Groceries
-
pay 31.0% more in North Charleston
- Transportation
-
pay 6.0% less in North Charleston
- Housing
-
pay 43.1% more in North Charleston
- Childcare
-
pay 32.4% more in North Charleston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.4% less in North Charleston
- Clothing
-
pay 9.9% more in North Charleston
The cost of housing, restaurants, childcare, groceries, and clothing in North Charleston are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including transportation and entertainment and sports are lower in North Charleston.
North Charleston vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Charleston instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 34.7% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.81
|
$21.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.18
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$2.50
|
|
Ottawa vs. North Charleston - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.0% more for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$3.67
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.07
|
$7.93
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.94
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$4.73
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.92
|
$6.25
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$4.04
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$2.12
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$2.47
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$1.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$1.15
|
|
Ottawa vs. North Charleston - Cost of groceries
pay 6.0% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.59
|
$2.99
|
|
| 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
|
$15.53
|
|
Ottawa vs. North Charleston - Cost of transportation
pay 43.1% more for housing
|
Ottawa
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.87
|
$83.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,003.58
|
$2,026.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,694.82
|
$1,500.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$164.04
|
$170.33
|
|
Ottawa vs. North Charleston - Cost of housing
pay 32.4% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,087.17
|
$1,366.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,729.34
|
$14,400.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. North Charleston - Cost of childcare
pay 1.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.94
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$5.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.86
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.52
|
$17.49
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.89
|
$14.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. North Charleston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.9% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
North Charleston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.86
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.68
|
$36.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.14
|
$95.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.15
|
$123.50
|
|
Ottawa vs. North Charleston - 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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