Living in Ottawa

The city covered 2,790.3 km² in 2021. Population density was 364.9 people per km² in 2021. The unemployment rate was 10.3% in May 2021. Ottawa is the national capital of Canada.

Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Ottawa?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in CanadaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Ottawa.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

20.1% of renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing in May 2021.

No city-level rent figure is published for Ottawa. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	42.08 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Ottawa²⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	39.99 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Ottawa²⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	785.7 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Ottawa²⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	15.47 EUR	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Ottawa²⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	30.89 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Ottawa²⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	86.62 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	118.2 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Ottawa²⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Households spending over 30% of income on rent	20.1 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁴Official
Dwellings	427,113 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁷Official

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Ottawa?

The median gross salary is about 4,221 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions. the regional series (home-region basis, {period}) is a separate labelled row in the table — shown in the table below.

Median gross salary: 4,221 EUR/month · Statistics Canada⁹
Median gross salary (regional): 2,759 EUR/month · 2026-08-27 · www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁷

What is the unemployment rate in Ottawa?

The unemployment rate is 10.3 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁴

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Ottawa is 10.3%. Of 485 cities with data, 119 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary	4,221 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	Statistics Canada⁹Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,759 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁷Official
Salary Net Avg Eur Month	3,210 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/ca/ottawa/²⁰Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate	10.3 %country median 8.3%	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁴Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Ottawa. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service

Government of Canada

Job SearchMigrant Support

Open official service

Open the Canada service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Ottawa. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Ottawa?

Police recorded 4,298 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 4,298 offences per 100,000 · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024²¹

Recorded crime across major citiesOttawa highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,298 offences per 100,000country median 7,108	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024²¹Independent

Mobility and administration

The nearest airport was YRO, 6 km away in June 2026. Commute shares were 11.2% by public transport, 7% by walking and 1.5% by cycling in May 2021.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
G09 Bicycle Commute Share Pct	1.5 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁴Official
G09 Transit Commute Share Pct	11.2 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁴Official
G09 Walk Commute Share Pct	7 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁴Official
Nearest airport	YRO	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁶Official
Distance to nearest airport	6 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁶Official

Language courses and integration in Ottawa

2 exact course-location records are linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

2verified local records

1provider-supplied leads

Confederation Court Community Organization

2483 Walkley Road, Unit A, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3H2

613-521-6807 · info@confederationcourt.com

View official record

Collège La Cité — Main Campus LINC

801 Aviation Parkway, Unit H3070, Ottawa, Ontario K1K 4R3

613-742-2483

View official record

Private and nonprofit providers

Provider-supplied records stay separate from government-verified services.

Provider-supplied record · supplemental Canadian Language Learning College — Ottawa campus

207 Queen St #100, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6E5

+1 613-680-3330 · info@cllc.ca

Open provider website

Check courses in Ottawa How the country programme works

Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were −9.6°C in January and 21.2°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 68.5 mm in January and 93.8 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 3.86 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Ottawa?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.9 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 3.86 µg/m³ · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.⁴

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaAnnual PM2.5 in Ottawa is 3.9 µg/m³. Of 92 cities with data, 33 have annual PM2.5 of 3 to under 4 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	6.06 µg/m³country median 6.9	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.⁵Official
PM10 — annual mean	12 µg/m³country median 10.5	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.³Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	3.86 µg/m³country median 3.7	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.⁴Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan -5.2 · Feb -3.3 · Mar 2.5 · Apr 11.2 · May 19.4 · Jun 24.2 · Jul 26.7 · Aug 25.6 · Sep 21.1 · Oct 13.3 · Nov 5.8 · Dec -1.5 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²²Independent
Average night-time low by month	Jan -14 · Feb -12.9 · Mar -6.9 · Apr 1.1 · May 8.1 · Jun 13.3 · Jul 15.7 · Aug 14.5 · Sep 10.1 · Oct 4.1 · Nov -1.8 · Dec -8.7 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²²Independent
Average temperature by month	Jan -9.6 · Feb -8.1 · Mar -2.2 · Apr 6.1 · May 13.8 · Jun 18.8 · Jul 21.2 · Aug 20.1 · Sep 15.6 · Oct 8.7 · Nov 2 · Dec -5.1 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²²Independent
Average precipitation by month	Jan 68.5 · Feb 51.4 · Mar 61.6 · Apr 0 · May 0 · Jun 88.2 · Jul 93.8 · Aug 87.3 · Sep 86.8 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 71.3 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²²Independent
Average sunshine by month	Jan 99.3 · Feb 131.3 · Mar 167.1 · Apr 189.8 · May 229.8 · Jun 254.2 · Jul 279 · Aug 249.3 · Sep 177.6 · Oct 139.4 · Nov 84.3 · Dec 82.6 hours	31 Dec 2010	Canadian Climate Normals — Ottawa CDA RCS 6105976, 1981-2010¹Official

Which nearby places are linked to Ottawa?

Official and functional links appear before nearby-only places.

Chelsea Satellite · 10.8 km¹⁸

Rent: Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime: Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact

Cantley Satellite · 17.2 km¹⁸

Rent: Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime: Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact

Val-des-Monts Satellite · 25.2 km¹⁸

Rent: Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime: Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact

Carleton Place Satellite · 48.1 km¹⁸

Rent: Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime: Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact

Arnprior Satellite · 51.1 km¹⁸

Rent: Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime: Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact

Plantagenet Satellite · 56.0 km¹⁸

Rent: Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime: Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact

Smiths Falls Satellite · 63.3 km¹⁸

Rent: Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime: Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact

Russell Nearby Independent Place · 32.2 km²

Rent: Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime: Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact

Cities of a similar size in Canada

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Canada cities

Edmonton1,010,899 residents Winnipeg749,607 residents Mississauga717,961 residents Brampton656,480 residents Québec557,390 residents London422,324 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Ottawa?

The published population was 1,071,868 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada⁸

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	2,790 km²	2021	Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Ottawa, CSD 3506008)¹²Official
Foreign-resident share	25.9 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Foreign residents	95,345 people	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status.¹³Official
Population density	364.9 people/km²	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation.¹³Official
Population	1,071,868 people	1 Jul 2022	Statistics Canada⁸Official

International community in Ottawa

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
China	20,320	7.8%
India	16,195	6.2%
United Kingdom	14,765	5.7%
Lebanon	11,905	4.6%
Philippines	10,505	4.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Language spoken at home

Total - Language spoken most often at home for the total population excluding institutional residents - 100% data · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Single responses	942,180	93.6%
English	734,735	73.0%
French	82,795	8.2%
Multiple responses	64,785	6.4%
English and non-official language(s)	37,595	3.7%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Ancestry or ethnicity

Total - Ethnic or cultural origin for the population in private households - 25% sample data · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Irish	192,250	19.2%
Scottish	160,250	16.0%
English	156,485	15.6%
Canadian	114,205	11.4%
German	73,625	7.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Foreign residents95,345 people11 May 2021Official source · Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status.

Population1,071,868 people1 Jul 2022Official source · Statistics Canada

Households spending over 30% of income on rent20.1 %11 May 2021Official source · Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population

Dwellings427,113 dwellings31 Dec 2021Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary4,221 EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary (regional)2,759 EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · www150.statcan.gc.ca

Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-13

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	30.3 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁴Official
G07 Bachelors Or Higher Share Pct	41.4 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree¹⁶Official
Median age	40 years	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official

This city record is still being completed

The URL stays available with its sourced facts, but it is not included in search discovery yet. The page needs a broader set of current decision facts and a useful internal comparison before ImmigrationDB presents it as a complete city guide.

Verified metrics: 28
Decision domains: 5
Current facts: 28

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Ottawa when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Ottawa?

The published population was 1,071,868 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Ottawa?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.9 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate..

How safe is Ottawa?

Police recorded 4,298 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024.

What is the typical salary in Ottawa?

The median gross salary is about 4,221 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the unemployment rate in Ottawa?

The unemployment rate is 10.3 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population.

What is the typical salary around Ottawa?

The median gross salary is 2,759 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

Is Ottawa a good place to live?

ImmigrationDB does not yet have enough current, multi-domain evidence and internal comparison context to answer that reliably. This stable data record remains available while the missing evidence is collected.

Which nearby places are linked to Ottawa?

Chelsea, Cantley, Val-des-Monts, Carleton Place, Arnprior are linked in the current source-backed set. The relationship label distinguishes administrative, metropolitan, commuting and distance-only links.

How many people born in China live in Ottawa?

The official country of birth distribution records 20,320 people (7.8%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 14). Ottawa, Canada: rent, salary, cost of living, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/ottawa/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_ottawa-canada-rent-salary-cost-of-living-jobs-safety_941f920f85b5,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Ottawa, Canada: rent, salary, cost of living, jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  snapshot = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/ottawa/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Ottawa, Canada: rent, salary, cost of living, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/ottawa/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Canadian Climate Normals — Ottawa CDA RCS 6105976, 1981-2010 Canadian Climate Normals · climate.weather.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
download.geonames.org recorded crime data download.geonames.org · checked 2026-08-28
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-13
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03

Show 12 more sources

Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Ottawa, CSD 3506008) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status. api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2021-05-11
Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
Statistics Canada language_spoken_at_home www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-29
Statistics Canada Table 98-10-0387-04: highest certificate, diploma or degree www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
www23.statcan.gc.ca place coordinates www23.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-28
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/ca/ottawa/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05
Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024 Statistics Canada · www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.