Location
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It stands on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec; the two form the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR). As of 2016, Ottawa had a city population of 964,743 and a metropolitan population of 1,323,783 making it the fourth-largest city and the fifth-largest CMA in Canada.
Founded in 1826 as Bytown, and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855, the city has evolved into the political center of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous annexations and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area. The city name “Ottawa” was chosen in reference to the Ottawa River, the name of which is derived from the Algonquin Odawa, meaning “to trade”.
Why Ottawa
Ottawa shines in a new survey of the world’s best cities for students, earning the top spot as chosen by students themselves.
“Ottawa’s perfect score in this indicator reflects the city’s lively student life, diversity, and friendliness,” according to the QS survey website, which quotes one respondent as saying, “the quality of education is one of the top in Canada.”
Observing that Ottawa is one of the smallest cities featured in the international index, QS says the city’s No. 1 ranking proves that “the best things often come in small packages” and that “lesser-known cities often make for happier students.”
In the new “student view” category included this year, QS surveyed more than 18,000 students and recent graduates, who scored their city in eight categories.Survey respondents praised Ottawa’s “student-centered culture, multicultural and bilingual environment, and opportunities to gain experience in government as well as other sectors,” QS says.
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Top universities in Ottawa
University of Ottawa
Courses Offered
- Arts
- Education
- Engineering
- Health Sciences
- Law
- Management (Telfer)
- Medicine Science
- Social Sciences
Scholarship
- French Studies Bursary
- Education Bursary
- Professional Training Scholarship
- Schulich Leader Scholarship
- President’s Scholarship
- Chancellor’s Scholarship
- Indigenous Leadership Scholarship
- Loran Award
- President’s Scholarship for International Students
- Chancellor’s Scholarship for International Students
- Faculty of Arts Dean’s Merit Scholarship
- Faculty of Engineering Dean’s Merit Scholarship
- Faculty of Engineering Memorial Scholarship
- Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s Excellence Award for International Students
- Student Mobility Scholarship
- Private donor bursaries
Fee Structure
Carleton University
Courses Offered
- Accounting
African Studies
Anthropology
Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies
Architecture
business Canadian Studies
Chemical and Environmental Toxicology
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Cognitive Science
Communication
Cultural Mediations
Curatorial StudiesData Science
Design
Digital HumanitiesEarth Sciences
Economics
Electrical and Computer Engineering
English
Human-Computer InteractionIndigenous Policy and Administration
Information Technology
Scholarships
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
- Tri-Council Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Ontario Trillium Scholarship
- Vanier Scholarship
Fee Structure
Saint Paul University
Courses Offered
- Faculty of Canon Law
- Faculty of Theology
- School of Conflict Studies
- School of Counselling, Psychotherapy & Spirituality
- Including programs in Human Relations and Spirituality
- School of Ethics, Social Justice and Public Service
- Including programs in Philosophy
- School of Social Communication
- Élisabeth-Bruyère School of Social Innovation
- Providence School of Transformative Leadership
and Spirituality - College Credit Transfer
Fee Structure
Collège Universitaire Dominicain
Courses Offered
- Bachelor’s degree in philosophy (specialized) – B.Ph.
- Bachelor of Philosophy with Minor in Ethics (Honors) – B.Ph (Eth.)
- Bachelor of Arts with a double major in philosophy and theology (specialized) – BAsp.Ph.Th.
- Bachelor of Arts with Major in Philosophy and Minor in Theology (Honors) – BAsp.Ph.
- Bachelor of Arts with Concentration in Philosophy – BAPh.
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with Minor in Ethics – BAPh (Eth.)
- Bachelor of Arts with Major in Theology and Minor in Philosophy – BAsp.Th.
- Master of Arts in Philosophy (MAPh)
- PhD in Philosophy
- Master of Arts in Theology (MATh) and Canonical License in Two Years
- Master’s degree in Theology (M.Th) in one year
- Doctorate in Theology (Civil Ph.D. / Canonical Doctorate)
Scholarships
- CUD Foundation Scholarships
- CUD Graduate Scholarships
- SSHRC Scholarships
- Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)
Fee Structure
Housing – $1,148/month
While this isn’t the cheapest market to rent in, you can still score great deals in the Ottawa rental market if you’re willing to make a few concessions. A condo will be your priciest option here, since most of the condos for rent are on the newer — and nicer — side. If you’re willing to go with an apartment that’s a few years older, or better yet, an apartment that you share with a roommate, your costs will be much more manageable.
To get accurate figures on what each option will run you, I looked at RentBoard.ca’s average data for different housing types in town.
One-bedroom condo: $1,622/month
One-bedroom apartment: $1,118/month
Two-bedroom, shared with a roommate: $1,408/month, or $704/month each
Average housing cost: $1148/month
Phone and Internet: $134.30/month
Since having a phone and an internet connection are non-negotiables these days, I looked into what it would cost you to get set up with both in Ottawa.
To effectively comparison shop, I used the same basic plan we used to find out how expensive it is to live in Vancouver: 4GBs of data, plus 300 minutes talk and unlimited text. If you’re willing to go with a lesser-known provider like Public Mobile or Freedom Mobile — both of which have decent coverage in Ottawa — you can score a plan for anywhere between $40 and $67. If you’re looking to stick with the big guys, the same package will cost you between $85 and $100.
For internet, we looked at Teksavvy, Bell and Rogers, which are the most popular providers in town. To get the just-above-basic internet package will cost you an average of $61.30 (and if you’re looking for deals, Teksavvy is it. Their just-above-basic package will run you $38.95 plus taxes.)
All in, your phone and internet will average $134.30/month in Ottawa.
Transportation – $194.75/month
Ottawa isn’t up there among the priciest places to own and operate a car downtown, but if you’re living centrally, which is both easy and relatively affordable, owning a car is an entirely unnecessary expense. We’ve got a good bus system that’s only going to get better with the expansion of the O-Train, and the city is easily navigated with a monthly bus pass.
Plus, Uber became officially legal here in 2016, so if you do need to augment your mostly-public transportation, you’ve got an affordable option available to you.
To get a total for transportation costs in Ottawa, I added up an estimate of what six Uber trips would cost you per month and the cost of an adult OC Transpo bus pass, and it came to $194.75/month — $113.75 of which is your unlimited bus pass.
Groceries – $212.36/month
Thanks to Statistics Canada, and the fact that Ottawa tends to have pretty standard food pricing, we can estimate that the average person in Ottawa spends about $212.36 on food every year. That’s based on the data from 2015 that the average family of 2.5 people spends about $510.50 on groceries every month, and adjusted for 2% annual inflation since then.
Entertainment – $325
Restaurants – $150
I polled a group of friends, and it turns out, Ottawans really like their restaurants. Many people I spoke with had average budgets that topped $300 to try out trendy restaurants in the Byward Market, Hintonburg, the Glebe and Westboro. If you’re looking to keep costs reasonable, $150 a month will still score you at least three or four trips to most of the newer restaurants in town.
Drinks – $100
The same group of local Ottawa restaurant-goers was quick to point out that their totals didn’t include drinks, and that they keep a separate line item for trips to the LCBO and drinks at the pub. I priced out a monthly routine of picking up two bottles of wine at the LCBO, a few bottles of local craft beer, and two trips for pints with friends, and came up with $100 a month for drinking in Ottawa — if you’re into that sort of thing.
Miscellaneous entertainment – $75
If you’re living centrally, a movie night probably isn’t your go-to form of entertainment, since there aren’t many centrally located theatres. Instead, you’ll probably want to budget for one of Ottawa’s many (many) festivals, which cover everything from beer to food to yoga to the ever-popular music. Attending one festival per month will likely run you about $75, but should slow down in the winter months.
Health and Fitness – $72.50
Ottawa has more niche fitness studios than you’d expect. You can get your fitness fix at multiple barre studios, CrossFit gyms, yoga studios or combination fitness spaces, but they’ll all run you more than $100 a month for an unlimited pass.
If you’re looking for a just-the-gym experience, you can join Goodlife for about $45 a month, and get access to 17 locations. To average it out, you’ll probably spend around $72.50 a month to stay fit in Ottawa.
Insurance – $28
It’s a safe bet that you’re probably renting if you’re a young person in the city, especially since detached housing downtown will run you more than the $436,625 average. That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for insurance, though: you’ll need renter’s insurance, which according to a quick rate check, will run you about $28 a month.
Grand total: $28,718 per year (before tax), or $2,144.91 a month
Housing: $1148/month
Phone and Internet: $134.30/month
Transportation: $194.75/month
Groceries: $212.36/month
Entertainment: $325/month
Fitness: $72.50/month
Insurance: $28/month
If you’re a young person who wants to live comfortably in O-Town, you’ll need to make at least $28,718 a year. That, however, is assuming that you’ll spend every last penny of your paycheque.
If you’d like to save something on top of that (because you’re a responsible budgeter who wants to retire someday) your best bet is to follow the 50/30/20 budget. In that case, you’ll need to keep these expenses to just 80% of your total income, leaving you with 20% of your take-home pay to save. To do that, you’d need to make an extra $6,434.73 after taxes, which equals a total salary of $36,635 before taxes.
