18 Responses to Expensive Ottawa

1. Rukh Said,

   June 7, 2005 @ 11:44 pm

   well, i doubt it’s on option in your mind…but you could save an EASY $30-$35 by going to dialup :P, other then that….i dunno, pretty tight budget from what i see

2. David Said,

   June 8, 2005 @ 8:00 am

   Ew Dial-up… I can’t really see myself doing it, though I have considered it more than once. I do just about everything online and think that I’d waste more time waiting for dial-up than money it would save me.

   Thanks though.

3. Ken Said,

   June 8, 2005 @ 2:48 pm

   hmmm, that is a VERY tight budget. You don’t have entertainment on there. yeesh…

   I agree that going dialup would probably waste more time and cost you more in the long run than the $50.

   Besides a 2nd job or moving, that’s really tough. I live in the NYC metro area and could not live on that budget just because the living costs here are ridiculous.

   Good luck.

4. Steph Said,

   June 8, 2005 @ 3:41 pm

   You seem to be doing all of the right things, though your grocery bill is a lot higher then mine and Cyrus’ atm, maybe that could be cut down a little? Shop for better prices? We currently spend $200 a month (for both of us) for groceries, $60-$90 every two weeks (This includes the wet . dry cat food, and hamster food). This is the break down of our bills, though Cyrus is making $1200-1500 every pay, so erm, that really helps a lot.

   Rent - $755 the first month, $685 after the first ($649 w/o parking)
   - Large one bedroom (forget the measurments)
   - Basement storage
   - Pool / Sauna on main floor of building
   - Underground parking
   - Hydro extra

   Hydro - Haven’t gotten a bill yet, we pay every 2 months

   Groceries - $200-$250 a month, we shop at M&M’s with a discount card and save a lot on meats, pizza, salads. Groceries every two weeks (pay day weekend usually).

   Internet / Cable - $104 a month we have Rogers and all of the speciality channels

   Phone - $32 a month, Bell canada local calling and 10c a min for long distance

   Cell phone - $45 a month

   Car payment - $400 a month

   Plus Cyrus has some money going towards paying off his credit card every month, and also has a loan out with TD bank that he pays every month. I’m not working, so he takes care of everything.

   As far as helpful hints: Be sure to make lists. Lists are your friends. When you do groceries, only buy what is on your list (unless it is a necessity that you’ve forgotten to add, like toilet paper!). Shop around, don’t do all of your groceries at one spot. And buy in bulk. That’s about all I can suggest.

5. David Said,

   June 8, 2005 @ 4:55 pm

   Ken - Entertainment? What is that? Sabine and I never go out anywhere except window shopping at malls. If we go out to dinner it is because someone else is paying.

   NYC is even worse…I am sure, but it is increasingly difficult to find a job in Ottawa.

   Steph - We do need to learn to make grocery lists. I think the reason that our food is so expensive right now is that we don’t shop the sales, and are on a high vegitable, high fresh vegitable diet right now…and fruits and vegitables are hellish expensive.

   I think you are getting ripped for long distance…even at 10c a minute.
   Right now we are not saving anything as our monthly expenses are more than Sabine’s current monthly income.

6. Steph Said,

   June 8, 2005 @ 6:51 pm

   We probably are getting ripped off for long distance, but -

   #1. We don’t call long distance. Everyone is local to us.
   #2. We can afford it. LoL.

7. A passer by Said,

   August 4, 2005 @ 5:12 pm

   Hi there,

   I recommend that you move to Hull-Gatineau where you can get a large one bedroom from $500.00 or a two bedroom starting at $600. There are tons of buses that goes to and from Ottawa and you can find a place there 10-20 minutes from downtown Ottawa. Good luck!!

8. David Said,

   August 4, 2005 @ 5:20 pm

   Sabine and I were thinking we would do that, but both of our jobs are in the southern end and west end of the city. Also, dealing with taxes and transportation would negate the savings on the apartment. We did the math, and that is just how it works out.

   We are pretty sure we will be moving to a place between St. Laurent Mall and South Keys, not too far from where we live now.

   Thanks for the comment though, and for stopping by. Keep coming back. We are moving at the end of the month, and some of the posts should be pretty crazy.

9. Phoenixrealm » Expensive Ottawa: Update Said,

   August 4, 2005 @ 5:29 pm

   […] Sabine and I will be moving soon, and the apartments we are looking at range from $600-$699 a month. The lower end being plus hydro, and the upper end being inclusive. I have decided to do a new write up of what we hope our expenses will be when we get into our new place. This is an update to Expensive Ottawa, written a while back when I did not have a job. […]

10. Stacey Said,

    January 25, 2006 @ 1:43 pm

    Hi David. I’m writing in response to the entry called Expensive Ottawa.

    My husband and I are planning a move to Ottawa in a few months (from Manitoba). Would you mind telling me if the South Keys or Hunt Club areas are fairly safe, cheaper places to live or would you say they are scummy and a bad area to settle in. Thanks so much! I hope things are going well for you!

11. David Said,

    January 25, 2006 @ 2:55 pm

    Hi Stacey,

    The good thing about the South Keys area is that it is highly developed, but this also means that there is somewhat of an increase in problems. It has become an echo of downtown in its problems as much as its promise.

    Depending on where you want to live on Hunt Club, as there are some newer developmental areas that are nice and far enough away from the main stretch (bank street) to be quiet and beautiful.

    Both areas though are rather expensive, and the newer developments in Hunt Club have been fairly safe.

    Honestly though, I would recommend moving a little further South out of Ottawa to both save money, and to get into a nicer area, or move towards the Nepean side of Ottawa, as there are some really nice communities hiding in certain areas. One of my favourite areas is over by Tunney’s Pasture (over on the north west side of Ottawa).

    So the things to remember are:
    The areas you have chosen are highly developed, and there are expensive and cheap areas almost right next door to eachother, some areas are a little rougher to live in and there is almost a downtown feel to some parts. It can be very loud in the South Keys area, but if you go east or west hunt club, away from Bank Street…you will have a far better Ottawa experience.

    I don’t know if you have taken a look at Google Maps (maps.google.com) or if you have visited Ottawa yet, but the two areas I highly suggest you avoid are anywhere near the South Keys Mall, and anywhere near the Airport.

    Good luck, and I hope you enjoy Ottawa. (My Uncle is serving in Manitoba, he’s Military).

12. Stacey Said,

    January 30, 2006 @ 4:44 pm

    Hello David and thank you so much for your advice! It is pretty scary to be making this move but exciting at the same time. It is hard to trust the information we have been given by the realtors because according to them everything they have for sale is located in a heavenly spot.

    We are planning a visit in March and we plan to check out the places you have suggested.

    Thanks again and I hope you have a great day!!

    Stacey

13. Brittany Said,

    July 12, 2006 @ 6:14 pm

    I recently visited Ottawa in October and fell in love with it. This is why I am planning on attending college/university there after I graduate next year. Do you have any suggestions of where I should live, which schools are good, and even if this is a wise decision. I am interested in history and politics and would love to live and work here because of the feel and atmosphere of the city. Is this even a wise decision?

14. David Said,

    July 12, 2006 @ 10:01 pm

    Hi Brittany.

    Algonquin College, Ottawa University and Carleton University are the educational establishments here in Ottawa. Depending on what you want to do is mainly how you will probably be picking one. I would say Carleton is the best, but that is mainly because its the one I have the most experience with and heard the least complaints about.

    As for suggestions on where to live, it depends on what you can afford. I currently live in Mooney’s Bay area, which is relatively nice, and inexpensive. It is a bit away from the downtown core but its only 5 minutes from Carleton U. and it is close to Mooney’s Bay beach. While the beach is not the greatest to swim in (due to bacteria and pollution concerns popping up often), there are some great events held there, including a few concerts.

    You mention History and Politics, which makes me think you will want to go to Ottawa University. If you decide to go there, I would still recommend being somewhere on Riverside Dr., maybe closer to Ottawa U. There are many nice places along there if you don’t mind either a bit of traffic noise, or a bit of train noise. The good thing is that you’d be outside the downtown core, but not too far from it, which is a way better way to experience Ottawa, as living in the downtown core near Ottawa U. can be distracting, noisy, and crowded.

    Ottawa is a great city, especially if you have money. If you have to live in the slums…well…

    There are some bad areas, but I still feel much safer in this city than most of the ones I have lived in.

15. Brittany Said,

    July 25, 2006 @ 11:00 am

    Thanks that helped a lot. I was actually looking up some stuff about Ottawa University and it sounds like it would be a pretty good place to go. I would also be moving here with a friend so we’d share an apartment and the cost…should be ok then. I was just wondering what the job situation is like: How hard is it to find a decent job? etc.

16. Greg Said,

    June 28, 2007 @ 10:15 pm

    We are considering a move to Ottawa in the near future. I dont really know much about the area..How far is Napean from downtown Ottawa?

17. Alyson Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 5:10 pm

    Hi,
    Could you give me some information about the Vanier area. We are thinking about moving to Ottawa and that area seems to have reasonable rents. Thanks.

18. Marah Said,

    May 29, 2008 @ 8:19 pm

    I have lived in Ottawa for 14 years and moved to another city for a job transfer. Once the same job came up in Ottawa, I was the first to put in my request back to the O-town. My fiancee and I love it here as it offers everything a young couple needs. To comment on the above notes here are a few suggestions:
    Areas to steer clear from: Certain parts of Vanier. Slowly but surely this area close to downtown Ottawa is being gentrified (refurbished) and is not dangerous. It does have its seedy areas and prostitutes at night. CAldwell area (Carlington Park) may be a bit more seedy but is surrounded by quiet neighbourhoods and executive homes. I have no issue with South Keys other than a couple apartment buildings that may house some seedy characters. I am being told by my fiancee that at night teh south keys mall had to play polka music (no offence to polka music) to shun the supposed gangs. I am not sure how dangerous an Ottawa “gang” could be as I have never seen illicit activity, but needless to say, every town has its insecure individuals that find identity by scaring and hurting others. Maybe they were teased in highschool and never received proper counselling. Sorry, I digress. Anyway, overall Ottawa is a great and beautiful city. If I were to live in another area than I am now, it would be in the Westboro area as it has alot to offer in terms of lifestyle and variety. It is pricey but you can find deals on the perimeter of this area.

    Hope this helped.

    PS. I really hope the gentleman posting before was able to find a job. The budget stated was pretty slim and I could not see any way of reducing that budget. I guess the best thing would be to just go get a job doing ANYTHING.