Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sault Ste. Marie vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Sault Ste. Marie is 14.9% cheaper than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.7% less in Sault Ste. Marie
- Groceries
-
pay 18.0% less in Sault Ste. Marie
- Transportation
-
pay 2.5% more in Sault Ste. Marie
- Housing
-
pay 6.2% less in Sault Ste. Marie
- Childcare
-
pay 52.2% less in Sault Ste. Marie
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.8% less in Sault Ste. Marie
- Clothing
-
pay 5.8% less in Sault Ste. Marie
Expenses including childcare, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, and clothing are lower in Sault Ste. Marie.
Sault Ste. Marie vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sault Ste. Marie instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 12.7% less for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Sault Ste. Marie
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.87
|
$16.50
CA$22.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.22
|
$9.75
CA$13.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.77
|
$1.73
CA$2.39
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$1.29
CA$1.78
|
|
Ottawa vs. Sault Ste. Marie - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.0% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Sault Ste. Marie
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.77
|
$2.25
CA$3.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.09
|
$4.37
CA$6.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.97
|
$9.95
CA$13.76
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.86
|
$2.81
CA$3.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.94
|
$4.59
CA$6.35
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.64
|
$1.38
CA$1.91
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.50
CA$0.69
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.31
CA$1.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$1.58
CA$2.18
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$0.99
CA$1.37
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
$0.72
CA$0.99
|
|
Ottawa vs. Sault Ste. Marie - Cost of groceries
pay 2.5% more for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Sault Ste. Marie
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.60
|
$4.06
CA$5.62
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$134.31
|
$57.41
CA$79.39
|
|
| 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
|
$22.35
CA$30.91
|
|
Ottawa vs. Sault Ste. Marie - Cost of transportation
pay 6.2% less for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Sault Ste. Marie
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$69.04
|
$68.03
CA$94.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,008.67
|
$873.07
CA$1,207.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,699.13
|
$908.95
CA$1,256.94
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$164.46
|
$124.38
CA$172.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Sault Ste. Marie - Cost of housing
pay 52.2% less for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Sault Ste. Marie
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,089.93
|
$502.31
CA$694.62
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,784.48
|
$5,023.13
CA$6,946.23
|
|
Ottawa vs. Sault Ste. Marie - Cost of childcare
pay 11.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Sault Ste. Marie
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.96
|
$4.31
CA$5.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.18
|
$3.44
CA$4.76
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.91
|
$11.48
CA$15.88
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.68
|
$32.29
CA$44.65
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.92
|
$12.18
CA$16.84
|
|
Ottawa vs. Sault Ste. Marie - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.8% less for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Sault Ste. Marie
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$73.05
|
$45.45
CA$62.85
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.81
|
$35.88
CA$49.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.44
|
$60.82
CA$84.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.48
|
$119.60
CA$165.39
|
|
Ottawa vs. Sault Ste. Marie - 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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