City Comparison
Montreal vs Ottawa
Take-home pay, tax burden, and cost of living side-by-side. 2026 tax brackets.
Quebec
Montreal
- Net on $110,000
- $75,902
- Effective rate
- 31.0%
- COL index
- 90
- Buying power
- $84,335
Ontario
Ottawa
- Net on $110,000
- $80,391
- Effective rate
- 26.9%
- COL index
- 102
- Buying power
- $78,815
On a $110,000 salary, the raw take-home gap is $4,489, but once you adjust for cost of living the effective buying-power gap is $5,520. To match Montreal's lifestyle at $110,000, you'd need to earn roughly $117,705 in Ottawa.
Comparison at different salary levels
Single filer, biweekly pay, standard deduction. Local tax applied where relevant.
| Gross salary | Montreal net | Ottawa net | Equivalent in Ottawa |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $44,956 | $46,567 | $65,648 |
| $85,000 | $60,053 | $63,124 | $91,646 |
| $110,000 | $75,902 | $80,391 | $117,705 |
| $150,000 | $97,578 | $103,461 | $160,333 |
"Equivalent in Ottawa" = the gross salary you'd need to earn in Ottawa to match the after-tax, after-COL buying power of the left-column salary in Montreal.
See individual city breakdowns
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montreal or Ottawa? ▾
Montreal is noticeably cheaper — COL index of 90 vs 102 (US average = 100). That gap comes mostly from housing; groceries and utilities usually differ by less than the headline COL number suggests.
If I earn $110,000 in Montreal, what do I need in Ottawa to match? ▾
To match the same after-tax buying power you'd get from $110,000 in Montreal, you'd need to earn about $117,705 gross in Ottawa. That accounts for both the tax difference and the cost-of-living gap.
Which city has lower taxes on a $110,000 salary? ▾
At $110,000, Montreal has an effective total tax rate of 31.0% vs 26.9% in Ottawa. That works out to a tax difference of about $4,489 per year.
Does the 'cheaper' city actually leave you better off? ▾
Not always. Raw net pay matters, but so does what that money buys. When we adjust for cost of living, Montreal leaves you with about $84,335 of equivalent buying power at $110,000 — compared to $78,815 in the other.