Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rochester vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Rochester is 5.7% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.5% more in Rochester
- Groceries
-
pay 3.9% less in Rochester
- Transportation
-
pay 24.4% less in Rochester
- Housing
-
pay 3.2% more in Rochester
- Childcare
-
pay 24.4% more in Rochester
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.2% more in Rochester
- Clothing
-
pay 13.9% more in Rochester
The cost of childcare, restaurants, clothing, entertainment and sports, and housing in Rochester are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including transportation and groceries are lower in Rochester.
Rochester vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rochester instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 19.5% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Rochester
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
$17.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.17
|
$11.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$2.62
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$2.33
|
|
Ottawa vs. Rochester - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.9% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Rochester
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.06
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.92
|
$3.53
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$2.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.52
|
$0.93
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$1.36
|
|
Ottawa vs. Rochester - Cost of groceries
pay 24.4% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Rochester
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.58
|
$2.96
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$133.83
|
$41.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,683.76
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.42
|
$11.94
|
|
Ottawa vs. Rochester - Cost of transportation
pay 3.2% more for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Rochester
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.80
|
$49.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,001.55
|
$1,462.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,693.10
|
$1,631.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$163.88
|
$96.47
|
|
Ottawa vs. Rochester - Cost of housing
pay 24.4% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Rochester
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,086.07
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,707.29
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Rochester - Cost of childcare
pay 7.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Rochester
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.93
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$6.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.46
|
$45.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
$12.21
|
|
Ottawa vs. Rochester - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.9% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Rochester
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.79
|
$63.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.62
|
$62.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.02
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.02
|
$85.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Rochester - 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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