Ottawa logs 9 hot days a year to Québec's 4 — Québec wins by 5. Québec also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.

Ottawa runs about $2,521/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Québec's $1,990/mo — Québec comes in $531 cheaper each month, roughly 27% less.

On mobility, Ottawa scores 3.2 vs Québec's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public transit. Québec still holds an edge on motorbike/scooter efficiency.

Ottawa and Québec score neck-and-neck on culture (3.8 vs 3.6, 0–5 scale).

Ottawa's nature & outdoors score of 4.7 sits well above Québec's 4.0, with the biggest gap on forest access. Québec still holds an edge on mountain access.

Québec's safety score is ~1.4× Ottawa's — near the top of our scale, while Ottawa lands in the upper band, with the biggest gap on wildfire safety.

Ottawa's career score of 3.8 sits well above Québec's 2.7, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.

Ottawa's social & community score is ~1.8× Québec's — in the upper band, while Québec lands below average, with the biggest gap on everyday english. Québec still holds an edge on urban energy.

On food & dining, Ottawa scores 3.6 vs Québec's 2.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.

On family, Ottawa scores 3.5 vs Québec's 2.9 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools.

Ottawa and Québec score neck-and-neck on healthcare (2.0 vs 2.0, 0–5 scale).

Ottawa averages 6.6 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Québec's 6.9 µg/m³ (good) — Ottawa breathes ~4% cleaner air (0.3 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here