How much money do you need to move to Ottawa?
Build a landing budget using a $1,926 two-bedroom rent benchmark, current transit costs and your own living-expense assumptions.
Ottawa landing-budget calculator
This is a planning model, not an immigration proof-of-funds calculation. Adjust every input to match your household, lease and transportation plan.
Start with housing, because it dominates the budget
CMHC’s 2025 purpose-built rental benchmark for a two-bedroom unit in Ottawa is $1,926 per month. Your actual lease can be lower or higher depending on bedroom count, neighbourhood, building age, condition and whether the unit is newly listed. Use the calculator’s rent field to replace the benchmark with a real listing once you have one.
On CanadaStarter’s current 19-city housing-and-transit benchmark, Ottawa ranks #16 from lowest to highest annual baseline. The combined benchmark is approximately $$24,774 per year for 12 months of benchmark rent plus 12 months of the regular adult transit amount used by the index.
How much cash should a newcomer keep available?
There is no universal number. Someone arriving with a signed job offer, furnished housing and employer-paid relocation costs has a very different risk profile from someone arriving without work or housing. The calculator therefore separates three things: a housing buffer, monthly living costs, and one-time/emergency cash.
A three-month buffer is shown by default only as a scenario—not a rule. If your income is uncertain, test a longer runway. If your housing is prepaid or you will stay with family initially, lower the rent assumption. Do not confuse this planning budget with any formal immigration settlement-funds requirement.
Ottawa transit assumption
The city baseline uses $138.50 per month for OC Transpo Adult Monthly Pass / fare cap. OC Transpo’s 2026 adult monthly pass and monthly fare cap are $138.50.
If you expect to drive, replace that transit amount with your own estimate for insurance, fuel, parking, financing and maintenance. A car can materially change the budget.
What one-time setup costs can include
Common landing expenses include temporary accommodation, basic furniture, household supplies, winter clothing, phone activation, utility deposits where applicable, identification or licensing costs, moving expenses and transportation from the airport. The default $2,500 setup amount is deliberately editable because these costs vary enormously by household.
Compare Ottawa with other Canadian markets
Lower housing-and-transit baselines immediately below Ottawa include Calgary ($24,480/year), Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo ($23,232/year).
Higher baselines immediately above Ottawa include Toronto ($26,413/year), Victoria ($26,460/year).
Primary data sources
CMHC housing-market data used for the 2025 two-bedroom rent benchmark →
Official Ottawa transit fare source →
Related CanadaStarter tools
Ottawa cost-of-living benchmark →
Compare all 19 cities →
Build a full first-year newcomer budget →
Estimate provincial rental-deposit rules →
Rent reference period: 2025. Transit pricing checked September 12, 2026. General planning information only.