Ottawa salaries sit ~30% below the Canada average
Ottawa, ON lists 75 careers with observed metro percentiles in CAD. Pay index 0.70 (30% below national); COL 100 vs a US baseline of 100.
Radiologist leads this Ottawa table at $386,000 a year, with Surgeon at $380,000 and Psychiatrist at $346,000. The midpoint of the listed set is Web Developer at $126,000 — a better “typical covered career here” than row #1 alone. Top-of-list mix: 5 healthcare, 3 technology, and 1 legal.
Population in the dataset is about 1,017,449. Larger labour markets usually support wider industry mix; smaller ones can look “high paying” on one clinical or tech title and thin everywhere else. Express Entry points and provincial licensing can matter more than the cash order.
Canada shows about 2.1% CPI in 2025. Open a role’s Ottawa salary page for p10–p90, take-home, and rent models — this hub is the directory. Missing careers may still have a national Canada page even when this metro lacks observed percentiles.
Reading pay and COL together in Ottawa
Use pay index (0.70) for wage level vs Canada, and COL (100) for prices. High on both is not the same as high real leftover.
Figures are observed metro medians where listed, in CAD, gross. They are market estimates — not a promise from any one employer.
What tops the Ottawa cash list
Radiologist: Radiologists interpret medical images to diagnose and guide treatment of disease. Observed median here: $386,000. That lead reflects how this metro prices the occupation, not a recommendation to retrain tomorrow.