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As of October 29, 2026, a one-bedroom apartment in Ottawa averages $1,593 a month and a studio $1,332, based on CMHC's October 2025 rental survey. Rent is the biggest monthly cost, and it comes before transit, food, utilities and phone. Ottawa rent is lower than Toronto's and higher than Gatineau's. Every figure below has a source.

How much money do you need to live in Ottawa?

Rent is the biggest monthly cost in Ottawa. CMHC's October 2025 survey puts the average purpose-built rent at $1,332 for a studio, $1,593 for a one-bedroom, $1,916 for a two-bedroom and $2,090 for three bedrooms or more.

Transit, food, hydro, internet, phone and insurance come on top of rent. We do not give an all-in monthly total, because no official source publishes one and we could not re-check every line item. The figures below are the ones we could verify.

Prices are still rising. Statistics Canada's all-items index for Ottawa-Gatineau (Ontario part) was 172.0 in September 2026, against 167.0 a year earlier, about 3.0% higher.

Rent in Ottawa by neighbourhood

One-bedroom rents vary by more than $650 across CMHC's zones inside the City of Ottawa (October 2025). The cheapest zones are Carlington/Iris at $1,375, Westboro South/Hampton Park/Britannia at $1,407, Vanier at $1,407 and Hunt Club/South Keys at $1,440. The Downtown zone is $1,601. Chinatown/Hintonburg/Westboro North is $1,682, Sandy Hill/Lowertown is $1,705 and Glebe/Old Ottawa South is $1,778.

In the suburbs, Nepean averages $1,581 and Gloucester North/Orleans $1,638. The highest averages are in the outer zones: $1,917 in Eastern Ottawa Surrounding Areas and $2,062 in Western Ottawa Surrounding Areas.

A unit you rent today usually costs more than these averages. CMHC's 2025 report found vacant units in Ottawa rented for 13% more than occupied ones, and 17% more for two bedrooms or more. Purpose-built vacancy was 3.0% overall and 6.7% in units built since 2015, so newer buildings have the most choice.

Transit, hydro and monthly bills

OC Transpo publishes its current pass and single-ride prices on its fares page. We could not re-check those prices on 2026-10-29, so this guide does not quote them yet.

Hydro Ottawa's residential rates in effect since November 1, 2025 are 9.8 cents per kWh off-peak, 15.7 cents mid-peak and 20.3 cents on-peak on time-of-use. The tiered plan charges 12.0 cents and then 14.2 cents above 1,000 kWh a month in winter (November 1 to April 30) or 600 kWh in summer (May 1 to October 31). Hydro Ottawa does not publish an average monthly bill, so check its rate page for sample bills and any new rates.

Childcare and wages in Ottawa

In Ontario, fees for children aged 0 to 5 are capped at $22 a day in programs enrolled in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system, as of January 1, 2025. The province says this brought the provincial average to $19 a day. The cap applies only where the provider is enrolled, and parents of children under 6 do not need to apply.

Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.95 an hour from October 1, 2026, up from $17.60, and the student rate is $16.90. At 40 hours a week, $17.95 works out to about $3,111 a month before tax, so an average one-bedroom takes about half of gross pay.

Ottawa vs Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Gatineau

Average one-bedroom rent, October 2025 (CMHC, row and apartment units): Toronto $1,761, Ottawa $1,593, Calgary $1,581, Gatineau $1,362, Montreal $1,131. Ottawa's one-bedroom rent rose from $1,280 in 2021 to $1,593 in 2025.

Purpose-built vacancy in CMHC's 2025 report was 3.0% in Ottawa and the Greater Toronto Area, 3.8% in Gatineau, 2.9% in Montreal and 5.0% in Calgary. In the year to September 2026, consumer prices rose about 3.0% in Ottawa, 2.1% in Toronto, 3.0% in Montreal and 3.4% in Calgary. These index figures measure change only. They do not show which city is cheaper.

Across the river, Gatineau averages $1,362 for a one-bedroom: $1,370 in Hull, $1,598 in Aylmer and $1,035 in the Gatineau sector. We have not yet verified Quebec daycare fees, STO fares or the income tax difference, so this guide does not compare them yet.

What this guide does not cover yet

We could not verify a grocery cost figure, current OC Transpo fares, property tax on an average home, student tuition, the Ottawa living wage or a current gas price. The federal fuel excise tax was paused from April 20, 2026 to January 31, 2027, according to Ontario's fuel price page. We will add the missing lines once official figures can be checked, and we log every change on our corrections page.

For places to shop and eat, our ranked lists are built from public Google Maps ratings and review counts, pulled on 2026-10-29.

Questions and answers

Is $70,000 a good salary in Ottawa?

$70,000 is about $5,833 a month before tax. An average one-bedroom at $1,593 (CMHC, October 2025) is about 27% of that. We have not verified take-home pay, so check net income with a tax calculator.

Is $80,000 a good salary in Ottawa?

$80,000 is about $6,667 a month before tax. An average two-bedroom at $1,916 is about 29% of that, and a one-bedroom is about 24%. Take-home pay after tax is lower, and we have not verified it.

Can you live on $3,000 a month in Ottawa?

It is tight. An average one-bedroom ($1,593) leaves about $1,407 for transit, food, hydro, phone and everything else. A studio averages $1,332, and the cheapest one-bedroom zones average about $1,375 to $1,440.

Is the cost of living in Ottawa high?

For rent, Ottawa sits in the middle. Its one-bedroom average of $1,593 is below Toronto ($1,761) and above Gatineau ($1,362) and Montreal ($1,131), based on CMHC's October 2025 survey. Prices in Ottawa rose about 3.0% in the year to September 2026.

Sources

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