Cost of living comparison
compared to
Salem vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Salem is 12.7% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.6% more in Salem
- Groceries
-
pay 12.7% more in Salem
- Transportation
-
pay 3.9% more in Salem
- Housing
-
pay 30.6% more in Salem
- Childcare
-
pay 20.6% more in Salem
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.0% more in Salem
- Clothing
-
pay 1.2% less in Salem
The cost of housing, childcare, restaurants, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Salem are more expensive than in Ottawa.
Salem vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Salem instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 16.6% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
$18.00
|
|
|
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
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$2.08
|
|
Ottawa vs. Salem - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.7% more for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$3.90
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.06
|
$7.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.92
|
$4.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$5.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
$6.08
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$1.78
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.52
|
$1.30
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$1.50
|
|
Ottawa vs. Salem - Cost of groceries
pay 3.9% more for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.58
|
$3.82
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$133.83
|
$45.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,683.76
|
$32,740.34
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.42
|
$20.90
|
|
Ottawa vs. Salem - Cost of transportation
pay 30.6% more for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.80
|
$82.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,001.55
|
$1,592.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,693.10
|
$1,441.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$163.88
|
$154.85
|
|
Ottawa vs. Salem - Cost of housing
pay 20.6% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,086.07
|
$1,075.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,707.29
|
$16,500.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Salem - Cost of childcare
pay 6.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.93
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$4.67
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.46
|
$46.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
$13.25
|
|
Ottawa vs. Salem - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.2% less for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.79
|
$47.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.62
|
$47.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.02
|
$84.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.02
|
$80.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Salem - 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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