Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ottawa vs. St.Catharines Cost of Living Summary
Ottawa is 4.4% more expensive than St.Catharines.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.2% more in Ottawa
- Groceries
-
pay 3.7% less in Ottawa
- Transportation
-
pay 6.9% more in Ottawa
- Housing
-
pay 3.4% less in Ottawa
- Childcare
-
pay 22.2% more in Ottawa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.6% more in Ottawa
- Clothing
-
pay 6.7% less in Ottawa
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants in Ottawa are more expensive than in St.Catharines. Expenses including clothing, groceries, and housing are lower in Ottawa.
Ottawa vs. St.Catharines Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ottawa instead of St.Catharines, you would:
pay 3.2% more for restaurants
|
St.Catharines
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.94
CA$25.09
|
$17.99
CA$25.16
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.56
CA$17.57
|
$11.01
CA$15.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.70
CA$2.37
|
$2.00
CA$2.80
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.46
CA$2.04
|
$1.56
CA$2.18
|
|
St.Catharines vs. Ottawa - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.7% less for groceries
|
St.Catharines
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.40
CA$3.36
|
$2.73
CA$3.82
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.37
CA$8.92
|
$5.85
CA$8.18
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.51
CA$10.51
|
$8.65
CA$12.10
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.99
CA$5.58
|
$3.52
CA$4.92
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.07
CA$7.09
|
$5.74
CA$8.03
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.33
CA$3.26
|
$1.91
CA$2.67
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.50
CA$0.70
|
$0.60
CA$0.84
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
CA$2.79
|
$1.63
CA$2.28
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
CA$2.70
|
$1.67
CA$2.33
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.31
CA$1.83
|
$1.11
CA$1.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.75
CA$2.45
|
$1.46
CA$2.04
|
|
St.Catharines vs. Ottawa - Cost of groceries
pay 6.9% more for transportation
|
St.Catharines
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.93
CA$5.50
|
$4.05
CA$5.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.97
CA$88.08
|
$97.12
CA$135.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,382.26
CA$34,104.69
|
$24,444.83
CA$34,192.21
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.20
CA$29.66
|
$14.82
CA$20.73
|
|
St.Catharines vs. Ottawa - Cost of transportation
pay 3.4% less for housing
|
St.Catharines
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.66
CA$91.84
|
$49.93
CA$69.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,133.79
CA$1,585.89
|
$1,452.55
CA$2,031.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,207.94
CA$1,689.61
|
$1,228.71
CA$1,718.66
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$147.35
CA$206.10
|
$118.93
CA$166.35
|
|
St.Catharines vs. Ottawa - Cost of housing
pay 22.2% more for childcare
|
St.Catharines
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$735.53
CA$1,028.82
|
$788.18
CA$1,102.46
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,481.44
CA$16,059.66
|
$15,753.32
CA$22,034.96
|
|
St.Catharines vs. Ottawa - Cost of childcare
pay 12.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
St.Catharines
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.75
CA$6.65
|
$5.76
CA$8.05
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.28
CA$4.58
|
$3.74
CA$5.24
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.63
CA$19.07
|
$12.95
CA$18.11
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.19
CA$45.03
|
$44.60
CA$62.39
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.48
CA$16.06
|
$10.79
CA$15.09
|
|
St.Catharines vs. Ottawa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.7% less for clothing
|
St.Catharines
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$73.55
CA$102.88
|
$52.82
CA$73.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.33
CA$74.60
|
$38.91
CA$54.43
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.19
CA$102.38
|
$87.10
CA$121.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$84.89
CA$118.74
|
$92.91
CA$129.96
|
|
St.Catharines vs. Ottawa - 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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