Warehouse space in Ottawa costs $1.15 to $1.65 per square foot per month all-in (net rent plus TMI) on a direct lease in 2026, which annualizes to $14 to $20 per square foot per year. Through a 3PL, pallet storage runs $15 to $30 per pallet per month, handling $9 to $15 per pallet per move, and pick, pack and ship $3.00 to $5.50 per order (Warehouse Bridge network data, Q2 2026). This page is the cost reference for the Ottawa market: every rate band, what moves pricing inside the city, a worked monthly budget, and how the numbers line up against Toronto and Montreal.
For facility availability by submarket, see the Ottawa warehouse network page. For the operating profile of scheduled government and institutional delivery programs, see warehousing for government suppliers in Ottawa. This page stays on price.
Ottawa Warehouse Rate Table: 2026
Every figure below is a band across the Ottawa facilities in the Warehouse Bridge network. Bands bracket the submarkets rather than match a single average.
| Service | Ottawa rate (Q2 2026) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Direct lease, all-in (net + TMI) | $1.15 - $1.65 | Per sq ft per month |
| Direct lease, annualized all-in | $14 - $20 | Per sq ft per year |
| Pallet handling (ambient) | $9 - $15 | Per pallet, per move in or out |
| Pallet storage (ambient, 48x40) | $15 - $30 | Per pallet per month |
| Pick, pack and ship | $3.00 - $5.50 | Per order |
| Cold storage handling | $12 - $20 | Per pallet, per move in or out |
| Refrigerated storage | $26 - $35 | Per pallet per month |
| Frozen storage | $38 - $48 | Per pallet per month |
| Cold storage, blended refrigerated and frozen | $26 - $48 | Per pallet per month |
| Cross-dock / container destuff | $375 - $550 | Per container |
| Trailer parking (secured yard, 53 ft) | $160 - $310 | Per trailer per month |
| Industrial vacancy | 3% - 5% | Market band |
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Check live rates →All figures are Warehouse Bridge network data, current as of Q2 2026. All-in means net rent plus TMI (taxes, maintenance, insurance). The annual figure is the monthly band multiplied by 12 and rounded to whole dollars. Storage, handling, and per-order rates are 3PL charges and exclude packaging, returns, account management, and outbound carrier cost.
What Drives Ottawa Pricing
A smaller industrial base
Ottawa is a smaller industrial market than Toronto or Montreal, and large-bay bulk space is scarce. A single-building requirement above 100,000 square feet has few candidates in the city, so bigger footprints are usually structured across two facilities on the Highway 416 and 417 corridors. Footprints in the 10,000 to 50,000 square foot range are where the network has the most options.
National Capital Region demand
Ottawa carries a steady base of demand that most markets its size do not have: suppliers delivering into federal departments and institutional buyers, technology hardware companies in Kanata, and consumer brands with order density across the National Capital Region and Gatineau. That base keeps space absorbed through the year, holds rates above the prairie markets, and is why the 3 to 5 percent vacancy band has not opened up the way Calgary or Edmonton have.
Corridor position between Toronto and Montreal
Ottawa sits about two hours from Montreal on Highway 417 and four to four and a half hours from the GTA via Highway 416 and the 401. It has no major intermodal terminal of its own. Containerized freight rails into Montreal or Toronto terminals and moves to Ottawa by truck, so the $375 to $550 per container cross-dock band is only part of the inbound cost. Add drayage from the rail head when comparing an Ottawa destuff against doing it at the gateway. The Ogdensburg crossing gives direct US access south of the city for cross-border programs.
Submarkets
The Ottawa network runs across three clusters. Nepean and Gloucester carry the most availability. Kanata carries a premium for its position next to the technology corridor.
| Cluster | Facilities | Network sq ft | Pricing position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa South / Nepean | 3 | 280,000 | Best availability, low end of the lease band |
| Gloucester / Ottawa East | 3 | 260,000 | Best availability, serves Orleans and the 417 east |
| Kanata / Stittsville | 2 | 180,000 | Premium, high end of the lease band |
Cluster facility counts and square footage are current Warehouse Bridge network inventory, not market totals.
Vacancy at 3 to 5 percent and what it means at the table
The 3 to 5 percent vacancy band puts Ottawa in the middle of the eight markets Warehouse Bridge tracks. It is looser than Toronto at 1.5 to 3 percent and Montreal at 2 to 4 percent, tighter than Calgary at 4 to 7 percent and Edmonton at 5 to 8 percent. Operators will move on term length, monthly minimums, and onboarding timing, especially in January through March. They will not move much on per-pallet or per-order rates without a volume commitment, because the space fills without the discount. Bring a 12-month term and a pallet count above 100 for the low end of the band.
Worked Example: Monthly Ottawa 3PL Budget
The mid-band values from the table above are $22.50 per pallet per month for storage, $12 per pallet per move for handling, and $4.25 per order for pick, pack and ship. Take a distributor holding 150 pallets, receiving 150 pallets a month, and shipping 2,000 orders a month.
| Line | Calculation | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pallet storage | 150 pallets x $22.50 | $3,375 |
| Inbound handling | 150 pallets x $12 | $1,800 |
| Pick, pack and ship | 2,000 orders x $4.25 | $8,500 |
| Total, three core lines | $13,675 |
That $13,675 is the base. Packaging materials, outbound carrier charges, returns processing, and any account management or WMS fee stack on top, and those lines usually add 15 to 30 percent to a quoted rate card. Run your own volumes through the warehouse cost calculator.
For a direct lease, 40,000 square feet at the $1.40 mid-band is $56,000 per month all-in, or $672,000 per year, before labour, racking, equipment, and WMS.
Ottawa vs Toronto vs Montreal
Ottawa prices below Toronto on every line and sits close to Montreal, with a slightly lower ceiling on most services.
| Service | Ottawa | Toronto (GTA) | Montreal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct lease, all-in ($/sq ft/month) | $1.15 - $1.65 | $1.40 - $2.00 | $1.15 - $1.75 |
| Direct lease, all-in ($/sq ft/year) | $14 - $20 | $17 - $24 | $14 - $21 |
| Pallet handling ($/pallet/move) | $9 - $15 | $10 - $18 | $9 - $16 |
| Pallet storage ($/pallet/month) | $15 - $30 | $18 - $35 | $16 - $32 |
| Pick, pack and ship ($/order) | $3.00 - $5.50 | $3.50 - $6.50 | $3.25 - $5.75 |
| Refrigerated storage ($/pallet/month) | $26 - $35 | $30 - $40 | $28 - $38 |
| Frozen storage ($/pallet/month) | $38 - $48 | $45 - $55 | $42 - $52 |
| Cross-dock ($/container) | $375 - $550 | $450 - $650 | $400 - $600 |
| Trailer parking ($/trailer/month) | $160 - $310 | $200 - $400 | $175 - $350 |
| Industrial vacancy | 3% - 5% | 1.5% - 3% | 2% - 4% |
Run the same 150-pallet, 2,000-order example at each market’s mid-band and the spread is concrete. Toronto lands at $16,075 per month ($26.50 storage, $14 handling, $5.00 per order). Montreal lands at $14,475 ($24 storage, $12.50 handling, $4.50 per order). Ottawa at $13,675 saves $2,400 per month against Toronto and $800 against Montreal on the three core lines alone.
The lease comparison follows the same pattern. The 40,000 square foot example costs $56,000 per month in Ottawa at mid-band, $68,000 in Toronto at $1.70, and $58,000 in Montreal at $1.45.
What the savings do not buy is gateway function. Toronto and Montreal both have intermodal terminals and, in Montreal’s case, a port. Container-heavy inbound programs usually destuff at the gateway and truck to Ottawa, which means Ottawa’s cost advantage shows up in storage and fulfillment, not in inbound.
When Ottawa Is the Right Node
Toronto and Montreal both deliver to Ottawa next-day, so a low-volume brand can serve the National Capital Region remotely without customers noticing. Ottawa earns its own facility in four situations.
Order density in the NCR. When daily Ottawa and Gatineau volume supports its own pick operation, the local node moves that volume to same-day and next-day service at a lower per-order rate than Toronto.
Scheduled institutional delivery. Government and institutional buyers procure on dock appointments and fixed delivery windows. That profile is covered in the government suppliers guide and is the main reason inventory gets positioned here rather than served from the 401.
Overflow from the GTA. With lease rates at $1.15 to $1.65 against Toronto’s $1.40 to $2.00, Ottawa works as slow-mover and seasonal overflow storage for Toronto operations, four hours from the 401 corridor.
Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec coverage. Kingston, Cornwall, and the 401 east to the Quebec border fall inside a two-hour drive. Cross-river distribution into Gatineau is routine.
Serve Ottawa from the GTA or Montreal instead when NCR volume is low, when inbound is container-heavy and needs the rail head, or when the requirement is a single large-bay building that the Ottawa base does not have.
Next Step
Your rate inside these bands depends on pallet count, order volume, term, and which end of the city you need. Request a quote with those four inputs and the network returns Ottawa pricing, with Toronto and Montreal alongside, within 24 hours. For all eight Canadian markets on one page, see the Canadian Warehouse Market Report 2026. For pricing models, hidden costs, and negotiation timing behind these bands, see the 2026 warehouse costs guide.