Composite profile
Overall score
81/100
Use the Ottawa profile to compare cost framing, mobility, and public-services signals alongside Toronto and Montreal.
Overall81/100
Affordability72/100
Air quality80/100
Energy76/100
Canada / North America
Ottawa, Canada City Intelligence
Ottawa is Canada's national-capital metro, with stable public-sector employment, bilingual workforce, and continental-cold climate framing used for cross-region Canadian comparison. Ottawa is a north america city of about ~1.5M metro in Canada. On the composite city-intelligence score, Ottawa sits comfortably above the indexed median (81/100).
- Last updated
- 2026-05-16
- Data year
- 2025
- Population
- ~1.5M metro
Parliament Hill
Image credit: Image: David Samuel, User:Hellodavey1902 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall city intelligence
Strong81/100
Composite directional score across affordability, air quality, clean energy, and resilience.
Data confidence
Directional
Directional indicators pending integration of verified city-level data.
Verified utility layers
See country hub
Emergency, healthcare, and transport verification status appears on the country hub.
Ottawa data table
The table is part of the initial server-rendered HTML and mirrors the key city score cards.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 81/100 | Composite score across major city intelligence modules. |
| Cost of Living | 72/100 | Ottawa's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Air Quality | 80/100 | Ottawa's air-quality profile is a directional indicator framed against WHO and regional benchmarks; verified city-level measurements appear in the dedicated air-quality dataset section once integrated. |
| Energy | 76/100 | Ottawa's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Safety | 79/100 | Ottawa's safety profile is a directional indicator; verified country-level emergency profiles attach via the country hub where available. |
| Internet Speed | 79/100 | Ottawa's connectivity profile is a directional indicator combining national digital-readiness context with widely cited speed-test references. |
| Climate Risk | 76/100 | Ottawa's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Resilience | 76/100 | Climate adaptation and infrastructure continuity context. |
Safety
Deterministic safety estimates from our index — planning signals derived from country priors and city data, not official crime statistics.
Safety
Overall safety78/100
Low crime81/100
Personal safety79/100
Night safety72/100
Road safety76/100
Ottawa is estimated to be a generally safe city (78/100 in our safety index), with solid personal-safety indicators.
Quality of Life
A composite quality-of-life estimate and its component indicators.
Quality of Life
Quality of life82/100
Healthcare86/100
Education89/100
Green space75/100
Cleanliness87/100
Infrastructure94/100
Mobility69/100
Ottawa has a very high quality-of-life estimate (82/100), with notable strengths in healthcare, green space, cleanliness and infrastructure.
Family Friendliness
How the city scores for raising a family, with the indicators that drive it.
Family Friendliness
Family friendliness81/100
Education89/100
Green space75/100
Overall safety78/100
Ottawa scores very high for family living (81/100), helped by education access, safety, parks and green space and healthcare.
Digital Nomad Suitability
Suitability for remote workers, based on connectivity, mobility, and livability.
Digital Nomad Suitability
Digital nomad suitability79/100
Walkability72/100
Cycling67/100
Infrastructure94/100
Ottawa is high for remote workers (79/100), based on connectivity, affordability, walkability, safety and overall livability and day-to-day amenities.
Retirement Suitability
Suitability for retirement, weighing healthcare, affordability, climate, and environment.
Retirement Suitability
Retirement suitability79/100
Healthcare86/100
Cleanliness87/100
Outdoor lifestyle43/100
Ottawa is high for retirement (79/100), appealing for healthcare access, affordability, a comfortable climate and a clean environment.
Emergency and public safety in Ottawa
Local public safety guidance for Ottawa, with the country-level emergency contacts that apply when calling for police, fire, or ambulance.
| Service | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Universal emergency | 91124/7 | 911 reaches police, fire, and emergency medical dispatch in most regions of Canada. |
For the universal emergency contacts that apply in Ottawa, including police, fire, and ambulance, see the Canada emergency profile.
Public safety sources
Each emergency contact above is attributed to an official emergency service or government publisher. Confirm current numbers directly with these sources.
- Government of Canada: Emergency services in Canada
Used as the primary attribution for Canada's 911 universal emergency number.
Last verified: 2026-05-16
Methodology and the wider source registry are documented on the scoring methodology and data sources pages.
Healthcare and hospitals in Ottawa
Healthcare context for Ottawa, with national-level information from Canada where city-specific data is not yet verified. This is informational only and does not provide medical advice.
For the national healthcare and public-health context that applies in Ottawa, see the Canada healthcare profile.
Official hospital registry
Canadian Institute for Health Information
National source of comparable Canadian health-system data and analysis recognised by federal and provincial governments.
Last verified: 2026-05-16
Healthcare sources
Each entry above is attributed to an official government, public health, or recognised health-system publisher. Confirm current information directly with these sources.
- Government of Canada: Health Canada
Used as the primary federal attribution for Canadian public-health context.
- Canadian Institute for Health Information: Canadian Institute for Health Information
Used as the primary reference for Canadian health-system statistics and hospital-system framing.
Last verified: 2026-05-16
Related sections: emergency and public safety, scoring methodology, and data sources.
Transport and mobility in Ottawa
Local mobility context for Ottawa, with national-level context from Canada where city-specific data is not yet verified. This is informational only.
For national transport authorities and operators that apply in Ottawa, see the Canada transport profile.
Transport sources
Each entry above is attributed to an official transport authority, national operator, airport publisher, or government source. Confirm current information directly with these publishers.
- Government of Canada: Transport Canada
Used as the primary federal attribution for Canadian national transport context.
- VIA Rail Canada: VIA Rail Canada
Used as the primary attribution for Canadian national rail operator information.
Last verified: 2026-05-16
Related sections: emergency and public safety, healthcare and hospitals, cities directory, countries directory, scoring methodology, data sources.
Air quality dataset
Source-attributed air-quality dataset for Ottawa. Verified measurements are surfaced when published from accepted official datasets; transparent fallback is shown otherwise.
Air quality dataset for Ottawa
Verified data unavailableLast updated 2026-05-16 / data year 2025
Verified air-quality measurements are not yet published for this location
Source-attributed values for Ottawa will appear here after the platform integrates verified measurements from accepted official publishers. Until then, structured air-quality module context remains available on the dedicated module page.
| Metric | Value | Data year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air quality | Verified air-quality measurements are not yet published for this location. | ||
Data provenance
Source attributionGlobal City Intelligence — air-quality dataset
Verified data unavailable- Publisher
- Global City Intelligence
- Last verified
- 2026-05-16
The air-quality dataset begins empty by design. Verified city-level measurements appear here only after they are sourced from accepted publishers (WHO, EEA, US EPA, OpenAQ, OECD, or official national/city environmental agencies).
Methodology and context
Numeric measurements appear in this section only after they are sourced from accepted official publishers. The dataset is independently validated at build time; malformed records cannot ship to production.
- Scoring methodology — how indicators across the platform are constructed.
- Data sources registry — the official sources cited by verified datasets.
- Open the Ottawa air-quality module
- Browse the clean-air city collection
Quick answers
Quick, evidence-based answers about Ottawa drawn from this profile's indexed cost, climate, safety, economy, education, healthcare and nearby-nature data. Figures are deterministic estimates for orientation — verify specifics with official sources.
Quick answers about Ottawa
Is Ottawa worth visiting?
Yes — excellent quality of life (82/100), with nearby nature such as Gatineau Park, Mer Bleue Bog.
Is Ottawa good for families?
Excellent (81/100) on safety, schools and green space.
Is Ottawa affordable?
More affordable than average; about C$2,210/month for one person (estimate).
When is the best time to visit Ottawa?
Late spring to early autumn; warmest in Jul, coldest in Jan.
What are Ottawa's main industries?
Mainly government, aerospace, technology.
What is the climate in Ottawa?
A humid continental climate, averaging about 11.2°C.
Does Ottawa have universities?
Higher education is excellent (82/100).
What is healthcare like in Ottawa?
Healthcare access is strong (78/100).
Is Ottawa good for retirement?
Retirement suitability is strong (72/100).
What nature is near Ottawa?
Within ~170 km: Gatineau Park, Mer Bleue Bog.
Explore Ottawa modules
City pages link to module and ranking pages so crawlers can move through the topic cluster naturally.
Cost of Living in Ottawa
Ottawa's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies.
Air Quality in Ottawa
Ottawa's air-quality profile is a directional indicator framed against WHO and regional benchmarks; verified city-level measurements appear in the dedicated air-quality dataset section once integrated.
Energy in Ottawa
Ottawa's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context.
Safety in Ottawa
Ottawa's safety profile is a directional indicator; verified country-level emergency profiles attach via the country hub where available.
Internet Speed in Ottawa
Ottawa's connectivity profile is a directional indicator combining national digital-readiness context with widely cited speed-test references.
Climate Risk in Ottawa
Ottawa's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity.
City rankings
Compare this city against other indexed cities in crawlable ranking tables.
Cost of living in Ottawa
Cost of living estimates for Ottawa — monthly budgets, rent, food, and transport in the local currency, plus an affordability score for comparison. Planning estimates derived from country baselines, not live prices.
Climate in Ottawa
Climate profile for Ottawa — Humid Continental climate, annual average 11.2°C, comfort score 71/100. Month-by-month temperatures, rainfall, sunshine, and the best months to visit. Deterministic planning estimates, not a forecast.
Economy and jobs in Ottawa
Economy and jobs profile for Ottawa — government center, economy score 83/100, key industries including government, aerospace, technology. Employment, salary, startup, remote-work, and career indicators. Deterministic planning estimates.
Universities and education in Ottawa
Education profile for Ottawa — major university city, education score 79/100, 9 representative universities, plus research, student life, and international-student indicators. Deterministic dataset, not institutional rankings.
Healthcare and retirement in Ottawa
Healthcare and retirement profile for Ottawa — major healthcare center, healthcare score 78/100, retirement score 72/100. Medical access, specialist and emergency care, affordability, and retirement suitability. Deterministic planning estimates.
Arrival planning guide for Ottawa
Practical arrival planning context for Ottawa — links into transport, public-safety, healthcare, budgeting tools, and methodology. Not an official airport or travel instruction service.
Neighborhood planning guide for Ottawa
Structured neighborhood research checklist for Ottawa — links into transport, public-safety, healthcare, arrival planning, and budgeting tools. Not a real-estate, rental, or safety-ranking service.
Moving to Ottawa planning guide
Structured relocation research checklist for Ottawa — links into country context, arrival planning, neighborhood research, cost tools, healthcare, public safety, and transport. Not immigration, visa, tax, legal, financial, medical, or property advice.
Visual guide to Ottawa
Source-attributed visual context for Ottawa using verified Wikimedia imagery from the existing media catalog, alongside structured city intelligence and planning links. Not a tourism guide or attractions ranking.
Summer 2026 travel planning guide for Ottawa
Summer 2026 travel planning checklist for Ottawa — links into arrival planning, visual orientation, budget tools, transport, public safety, and healthcare context. Not a weather forecast, events calendar, hotel-price guide, or tourism ranking.
Weekend trip planning guide for Ottawa
Weekend trip planning checklist for Ottawa — links into arrival planning, Summer 2026 travel context, visual orientation, budget tools, transport, public safety, and healthcare context. Not an itinerary, events calendar, hotel-price guide, restaurant guide, or tourism ranking.
Nearby weekend places from Ottawa
Source-backed nearby place records for local-first weekend planning, with verification status, official source links, Wikidata identity, and visual context.
Estimate a monthly budget for Ottawa
Estimate a monthly budget for Ottawa using your own housing, food, transport, healthcare, and lifestyle inputs. Planning estimator only — not an official cost-of-living measurement.
Plan a trip budget for Ottawa
Plan a trip budget for Ottawa using your own accommodation, food, local transport, activities, travel, healthcare buffer, and emergency buffer inputs. Planning estimator only — not an official travel cost estimate.
Nearby cities from Ottawa
Where else nearby you could spend a day or a weekend from Ottawa. Links are derived from geographic proximity, shared region, shared natural-recreation areas, transport corridors, and country borders — not popularity or tourism rankings.
Gatineau, Canada
Nearby city · about 8 km from Ottawa. Explore Gatineau's city intelligence profile.
Cornwall, Canada
Same region · about 87 km from Ottawa. Explore Cornwall's city intelligence profile.
Kingston, Canada
Same region · about 146 km from Ottawa. Explore Kingston's city intelligence profile.
Laval, Canada
Same region · about 153 km from Ottawa. Explore Laval's city intelligence profile.
Montreal, Canada
Same region · about 165 km from Ottawa. Explore Montreal's city intelligence profile.
Longueuil, Canada
Same region · about 177 km from Ottawa. Explore Longueuil's city intelligence profile.
Belleville, Canada
Same region · about 193 km from Ottawa. Explore Belleville's city intelligence profile.
Burlington, United States
Cross-border · about 220 km from Ottawa. Explore Burlington's city intelligence profile.
Peterborough, Canada
Same region · about 241 km from Ottawa. Explore Peterborough's city intelligence profile.
Trois-Rivières, Canada
Same region · about 265 km from Ottawa. Explore Trois-Rivières's city intelligence profile.
Related collections
Regional discovery collections that include Ottawa — named natural regions grouping nearby nature, parks, lakes, coasts, and mountains for local-first day and weekend planning.
Canada Protected Landscapes
Protected landscape · 30 places across 80 cities.
Weekend Escapes near Montreal
Weekend escapes · 30 places across 53 cities.
Themed collections
Theme-first discovery collections that include Ottawa — grouped by outdoor interest (mountains, lakes, coasts, forests, national parks) rather than geography.
Canada Cycling Friendly Areas
Cycling Friendly Areas · 50 places across 72 cities.
Canada Family Outdoor Escapes
Family Outdoor Escapes · 50 places across 71 cities.
Canada Hiking Areas
Hiking Areas · 47 places across 71 cities.
Canada Protected Landscapes
Protected Landscapes · 21 places across 80 cities.
Canada Weekend Nature Retreats
Weekend Nature Retreats · 50 places across 71 cities.
North American Hiking Areas
Hiking Areas · 50 places across 80 cities.
Ottawa FAQ
Common questions about living in, visiting, working in, studying in and retiring to Ottawa, answered from the indexed cost-of-living, climate, safety, economy, education, healthcare and nearby-nature data on this profile.
Frequently asked questions about Ottawa
Is Ottawa worth visiting?
Ottawa has a very high quality-of-life estimate (82/100), with notable strengths in healthcare, green space, cleanliness and infrastructure. Visitors can also reach nature such as Gatineau Park, Mer Bleue Bog and Larose Forest within weekend range.
What is it like to live in Ottawa?
Ottawa has a very high quality-of-life estimate (82/100), with notable strengths in healthcare, green space, cleanliness and infrastructure. It indexes 82/100 for overall quality of life.
How much does it cost to live in Ottawa?
A single resident of Ottawa spends roughly C$2,210 per month, with a one-bedroom rent near C$1,170. Overall the city is more affordable than average for Canada. These are modelled estimates, not live quotes — verify locally.
What should I know about moving to Ottawa?
Plan for below-average living costs and check current rents before relocating. Ottawa is high for remote workers (79/100), based on connectivity, affordability, walkability, safety and overall livability and day-to-day amenities.
What is the job market like in Ottawa?
Ottawa's labour market is very strong, with opportunities concentrated in technology, finance and professional services and education and research. Ottawa has a government- and services-oriented economy with strengths in government, aerospace and technology.
Is Ottawa good for digital nomads and remote work?
Ottawa offers strong infrastructure and amenities for remote professionals, with a remote-work score of 82/100.
What are the education options in Ottawa?
Ottawa is a major university city with a mix of universities and research activity in our dataset, spanning fields such as Law, Computer Science and Design.
Is Ottawa a good place to study?
Ottawa offers a strong student environment, supported by walkable neighborhoods, relatively affordable living and strong quality of life.
What is healthcare like in Ottawa?
Ottawa has a major healthcare center, supported by hospitals, specialist services, and public-health infrastructure, with a healthcare score of 78/100. Residents have very strong access to healthcare across primary, specialist, and emergency care.
Is Ottawa a good place to retire?
Ottawa offers a combination of healthcare access, safety, and amenities that may appeal to retirees, with a retirement score of 72/100. Residents benefit from parks and green space, walkable streets and broad urban amenities and day-to-day services.
What is the climate like in Ottawa?
Ottawa has a humid continental climate, averaging about 11.2°C annually with roughly 801 mm of rain. The hottest month is Jul and the coldest Jan. The driest is typically Jan.
Is Ottawa a safe place to live?
Ottawa is estimated to be a generally safe city (78/100 in our safety index), with solid personal-safety indicators.
How easy is it to get around Ottawa?
Ottawa indexes a walkability score of 72 and a cycling score of 67 out of 100. Check the local operator for live transit routes and fares.
What nature and outdoor places are near Ottawa?
Nature destinations within about 170 km of Ottawa include Gatineau Park, Mer Bleue Bog and Larose Forest. Each is linked with its official source on the profile.
Is Ottawa good for families?
Ottawa scores very high for family living (81/100), helped by education access, safety, parks and green space and healthcare.
What outdoor activities are there around Ottawa?
Ottawa rates 43/100 for outdoor lifestyle and 75/100 for green space. Nearby nature such as Gatineau Park, Mer Bleue Bog and Larose Forest supports day hikes, water activities and weekend trips.
Interpretation
Use the Ottawa profile to compare cost framing, mobility, and public-services signals alongside Toronto and Montreal. Its standout dimensions are air quality (80/100) and safety (79/100). The area most worth watching is cost of living (72/100), where the model registers practical gaps. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 4 institutional references.
Country context is available on the Canada country page. Related rankings include Overall Intelligence, Quality of Life, Remote Work. See where Ottawa appears in global rankings or read the scoring methodology.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Sources
4 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
- UN-Habitat: World Cities Report 2024
Used as a policy and methodology reference for urban exposure and resilience signals.
- US Environmental Protection Agency: National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Used where United States city comparisons need air-quality benchmark context.
- NASA: NASA POWER
Used as an energy-resource and weather-normalization reference.
- IPCC: AR6 WGII Chapter 6: Cities, settlements and key infrastructure
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.