Ottawa Rent is WILDIN' 💸😭: How Much You Gotta Stack to Live Solo

The Real Tea

Aight, listen up, fam. If you're tryna live that independent life in Ottawa, you better be ready to GRIND. According to a new report from 2025, you need to be pulling in a WHOPPING $39 an hour just to afford a one-bedroom apartment. And if you're thinking of shacking up with a roommate in a two-bedroom? That'll set you back $48 an hour. No cap, these prices are insane.

Like, let's be real, Ontario's minimum wage is only $17.20. So, basically, you'd have to work, like, two full-time minimum wage jobs just to maybe kinda afford a one-bedroom. That's a major L.

The average rent in Ottawa is like, $2010 for a one-bedroom and $2490 for a two-bedroom. It wasn't even this bad last year fam. In 2024 it was 29 bucks an hour for a one-bedroom. What's even crazier is that in other cities like Kingston ($33/hour for a one-bedroom) and Gatineau ($29/hour for a one-bedroom), the rental wage is actually a bit lower. Even Vancouver is only like, 46 bucks an hour for a one-bedroom.

The peeps who wrote the report (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) are saying we need to find some new ways to fix this mess, like building more affordable housing, especially not-for-profit places. They also want the government to step in with some policies and rent control.

Basically, living in Ottawa is a struggle, and the struggle is REAL. Good luck out there, besties!