Cost of living comparison
compared to
Wausau vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Wausau is 11.2% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.2% more in Wausau
- Groceries
-
pay 10.3% less in Wausau
- Transportation
-
pay 15.2% more in Wausau
- Housing
-
pay 9.1% less in Wausau
- Childcare
-
pay 2.0 times more in Wausau
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.7% less in Wausau
- Clothing
-
pay 16.5% less in Wausau
The cost of childcare, restaurants, and transportation in Wausau are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including entertainment and sports, clothing, groceries, and housing are lower in Wausau. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Wausau.
Wausau vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Wausau instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 15.2% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Wausau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.81
|
$19.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.18
|
$8.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$2.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Wausau - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.3% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Wausau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$2.83
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.07
|
$4.41
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.94
|
$3.50
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$4.11
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.92
|
$3.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$1.91
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.73
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$1.91
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$0.83
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$1.13
|
|
Ottawa vs. Wausau - Cost of groceries
pay 15.2% more for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Wausau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.59
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$133.97
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,717.98
|
$36,165.86
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.44
|
$18.37
|
|
Ottawa vs. Wausau - Cost of transportation
pay 9.1% less for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Wausau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.87
|
$68.36
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,003.58
|
$925.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,694.82
|
$700.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$164.04
|
$126.18
|
|
Ottawa vs. Wausau - Cost of housing
pay 2.0 times more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Wausau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,087.17
|
$1,833.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,729.34
|
$26,555.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Wausau - Cost of childcare
pay 16.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Wausau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.94
|
$5.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.86
|
$8.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.52
|
$30.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.89
|
$6.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Wausau - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.5% less for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Wausau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.86
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.68
|
$46.87
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.14
|
$65.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.15
|
$85.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Wausau - 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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