Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Bend vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
South Bend is 7.4% cheaper than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.9% less in South Bend
- Groceries
-
pay 23.0% less in South Bend
- Transportation
-
pay 1.8% less in South Bend
- Housing
-
pay 5.5% less in South Bend
- Childcare
-
pay 26.9% more in South Bend
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.8% more in South Bend
- Clothing
-
pay 34.3% less in South Bend
The cost of childcare and entertainment and sports in South Bend are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including clothing, groceries, restaurants, housing, and transportation are lower in South Bend.
South Bend vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Bend instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 15.9% less for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.17
|
$7.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$1.41
|
|
Ottawa vs. South Bend - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.0% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$2.66
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.06
|
$5.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.92
|
$3.02
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$2.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
$4.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$0.80
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.52
|
$0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$0.72
|
|
Ottawa vs. South Bend - Cost of groceries
pay 1.8% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.58
|
$3.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$133.83
|
$35.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,683.76
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.42
|
$20.70
|
|
Ottawa vs. South Bend - Cost of transportation
pay 5.5% less for housing
|
Ottawa
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.80
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,001.55
|
$1,625.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,693.10
|
$825.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$163.88
|
$93.79
|
|
Ottawa vs. South Bend - Cost of housing
pay 26.9% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,086.07
|
$950.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,707.29
|
$21,000.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. South Bend - Cost of childcare
pay 1.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.93
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$4.88
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
$6.42
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.46
|
$42.47
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
$14.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. South Bend - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 34.3% less for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.79
|
$39.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.62
|
$29.99
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.02
|
$50.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.02
|
$50.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. South Bend - 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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