Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay Cost of Living Summary
Ottawa is 4.2% more expensive than Thunder Bay.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.1% less in Ottawa
- Groceries
-
pay 1.6% more in Ottawa
- Transportation
-
pay 10.0% more in Ottawa
- Housing
-
pay 1.2% less in Ottawa
- Childcare
-
pay 9.6% more in Ottawa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.2% more in Ottawa
- Clothing
-
pay 3.5% less in Ottawa
The cost of entertainment and sports, transportation, childcare, and groceries in Ottawa are more expensive than in Thunder Bay. Expenses including clothing, housing, and restaurants are lower in Ottawa.
Ottawa vs. Thunder Bay Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ottawa instead of Thunder Bay, you would:
pay 1.1% less for restaurants
|
Thunder Bay
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.59
CA$17.35
|
$11.01
CA$15.17
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.94
CA$2.67
|
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
|
Thunder Bay vs. Ottawa - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.6% more for groceries
|
Thunder Bay
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.43
CA$3.35
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.50
CA$11.71
|
$5.85
CA$8.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$9.17
CA$12.64
|
$8.65
CA$11.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.56
CA$4.90
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.35
CA$10.13
|
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.57
CA$0.79
|
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.78
CA$2.46
|
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.64
CA$2.25
|
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
CA$1.62
|
$1.11
CA$1.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.97
CA$1.34
|
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
|
Thunder Bay vs. Ottawa - Cost of groceries
pay 10.0% more for transportation
|
Thunder Bay
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.03
CA$5.56
|
$4.05
CA$5.58
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.59
CA$86.25
|
$97.12
CA$133.83
|
|
| 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) |
$19.93
CA$27.46
|
$14.82
CA$20.42
|
|
Thunder Bay vs. Ottawa - Cost of transportation
pay 1.2% less for housing
|
Thunder Bay
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$96.76
CA$133.34
|
$49.93
CA$68.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,007.20
CA$1,387.88
|
$1,452.55
CA$2,001.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,016.20
CA$1,400.27
|
$1,228.71
CA$1,693.10
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.29
CA$208.47
|
$118.93
CA$163.88
|
|
Thunder Bay vs. Ottawa - Cost of housing
pay 9.6% more for childcare
|
Thunder Bay
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$719.43
CA$991.34
|
$788.18
CA$1,086.07
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$15,753.32
CA$21,707.29
|
|
Thunder Bay vs. Ottawa - Cost of childcare
pay 14.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Thunder Bay
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.22
CA$7.19
|
$5.76
CA$7.93
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.47
CA$4.79
|
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$29.85
CA$41.13
|
$44.60
CA$61.46
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
|
Thunder Bay vs. Ottawa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.5% less for clothing
|
Thunder Bay
|
Ottawa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.45
CA$80.54
|
$52.82
CA$72.79
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.55
CA$48.98
|
$38.91
CA$53.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$74.34
CA$102.44
|
$87.10
CA$120.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$135.10
CA$186.16
|
$92.91
CA$128.02
|
|
Thunder Bay 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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