Cost of living comparison
compared to
Thunder Bay vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Thunder Bay is 1.7% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.8% more in Thunder Bay
- Groceries
-
pay 2.5% more in Thunder Bay
- Transportation
-
pay 0.5% less in Thunder Bay
- Housing
-
pay 18.2% more in Thunder Bay
- Childcare
-
pay 8.7% less in Thunder Bay
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.3% less in Thunder Bay
- Clothing
-
pay 8.2% more in Thunder Bay
The cost of housing, clothing, groceries, and restaurants in Thunder Bay are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, and transportation are lower in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Thunder Bay instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 1.8% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.17
|
$12.59
CA$17.35
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$1.94
CA$2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
|
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.5% more for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$2.43
CA$3.35
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.06
|
$8.50
CA$11.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.92
|
$9.17
CA$12.64
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$3.56
CA$4.90
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
$7.35
CA$10.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.57
CA$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.78
CA$2.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$1.64
CA$2.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.52
|
$1.17
CA$1.62
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$0.97
CA$1.34
|
|
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of groceries
pay 0.5% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.58
|
$4.03
CA$5.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$133.83
|
$62.59
CA$86.25
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,683.76
|
$24,444.83
CA$33,683.76
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.42
|
$19.93
CA$27.46
|
|
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of transportation
pay 18.2% more for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.80
|
$96.76
CA$133.34
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,001.55
|
$1,007.20
CA$1,387.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,693.10
|
$1,016.20
CA$1,400.27
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$163.88
|
$151.29
CA$208.47
|
|
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of housing
pay 8.7% less for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,086.07
|
$719.43
CA$991.34
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,707.29
|
?? | |
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of childcare
pay 9.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.93
|
$5.22
CA$7.19
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$3.47
CA$4.79
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.46
|
$29.85
CA$41.13
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
|
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.2% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.79
|
$58.45
CA$80.54
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.62
|
$35.55
CA$48.98
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.02
|
$74.34
CA$102.44
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.02
|
$135.10
CA$186.16
|
|
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay - 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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