In short
- Centretown had 25,687 residents in the 2021 census (south of Gloucester Street); Wikipedia notes many are students or Hill staff living in Ottawa temporarily.
- Stairs cost $30 per flight of seven at Move-Ottawa Movers; OttawaBestMovers.ca's walk-up fee skips elevator buildings.
- Centretown sits inside 20 km of City Hall, so a local move starting here carries one flat hour of travel at OttawaBestMovers.ca.
- First Rate Movers' typical local cost is $700–880 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $1,050–1,590 for a 2-bedroom.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 movers + 17-ft truck, 1–2 bedrooms | $150/h | Move-Ottawa Movers; 3.5 h minimum including 1 hour flat travel, plus HST |
| Each flight of 7 stairs | $30 | Move-Ottawa Movers; added once to the hourly rate |
| 2 movers + 20-ft truck, local move | from $129/h | OttawaBestMovers.ca; one flat travel hour within 20 km of City Hall |
| 1-bedroom apartment, local move | $700–880 | First Rate Movers’ typical cost |
| 2-bedroom apartment, local move | $1,050–1,590 | First Rate Movers’ typical cost |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026: Move-Ottawa Movers, Our prices ($150/h with a 17-ft truck, 1 hour travel, $30 per flight of 7 stairs); OttawaBestMovers.ca, Prices (from $129/h with a 20-ft truck, 20 km radius from City Hall, 275 lb flat fee, walk-up rule); First Rate Movers, Local moving in Ottawa (apartment ranges); Wikipedia, Centretown (boundaries, 2021 population, housing mix); Ontario.ca, Hiring a mover (contract rules). The company that calls you quotes its own price.
What counts as Centretown
The City defines Centretown as the area north of the Queensway and west of the Rideau Canal, between Bronson Avenue and Gloucester and Lisgar Streets. Wikipedia counts 25,687 residents south of Gloucester in the 2021 census. Listings often include the Golden Triangle and downtown as well.
Bank and Elgin Streets are commercial. MacLaren and Gladstone are residential. Single-family homes remain beside infill townhouses and apartment blocks of every height. A condo building boom from the late 1990s added towers north of Cooper Street.
Short leases and busy calendars
Wikipedia notes a large group of transient residents, many of them students or Hill staff living in Ottawa for a time. If your date is the last or first of the month, book early and say whether it can move. For a same-week job see last-minute movers.
Walk-ups, towers and the elevator
Centretown has two kinds of job. A walk-up is a stairs job: how many flights, how wide, what turns. A tower is an elevator job: booking, hours, pads, deposit.
Firms price stairs in different ways. Move-Ottawa Movers lists $30 per flight, with each set of seven stairs as one flight, added to the hourly rate. OttawaBestMovers.ca may charge an extra fee for walk-ups and notes that the walk-up fee does not apply to buildings with an elevator, ground level or garages. Ask the company that calls which model it uses, then compare the totals.
Read apartment moving for the general job and condo moving for tower rules.
Travel, hours and the clock
Centretown sits well inside the 20 km radius that OttawaBestMovers.ca uses for local moves, and it charges one flat hour of travel for them. Move-Ottawa Movers also charges one flat hour for local moves. A short hop across downtown still carries that hour. Confirm that the estimate shows it.
First Rate Movers gives typical local costs of $700 to $880 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $1,050 to $1,590 for a 2-bedroom, depending on timing, access and contents. Treat those as a reference and let the company price your building. More ranges are in moving cost in Ottawa.
Heavy pieces
OttawaBestMovers.ca charges a flat $250 for items over 275 lb, including pianos, pool tables and oversized safes, and moves them only between main levels. If you own one, say so in the request. Piano moving explains how companies price it.
Quotes and the Ontario rules
Ontario.ca notes that the province does not license movers and advises three written estimates. Over $50, the contract must be written and itemized, and the bill can top the estimate by 10% at most unless you sign off on extra supplies or services. Get those lines in writing before move day.
Next door
The Glebe sits just south across the Queensway, and Vanier lies east across the Rideau River. Westboro is a longer move to the west end.
Who calls about the building
We forward a Centretown request to one independent mover. The firm rings you to ask about the floor, the stair turns and the elevator booking, then quotes its own price.
Questions to ask the company
- Do you bill stairs per flight, or are they in the hourly rate?
- My building has one elevator and a booking slot. How many movers do you plan for it?
- Where will the truck stand on a one-way downtown street, and who handles any permit?
- Is the one-hour travel charge on the quote, and where does the clock start?
- Items over 275 lb such as a safe or a piano: do you charge a flat fee, and from which floors?
Have this ready for the call
- Ask the building office for the elevator slot, the hours moves are allowed and any deposit.
- Count the stairs: flights in a walk-up, steps to the front door, the narrowest landing.
- Check the street for no-stopping signs and bike lanes on move day.
- Pre-pack so the elevator time goes to carrying and not to tape.
- Note any item over 275 lb or any antique that needs padding.
Questions people ask
What counts as Centretown?
The City defines it as the area bounded by Gloucester and Lisgar Streets on the north, the Rideau Canal on the east, the Queensway on the south and Bronson Avenue on the west. Real estate listings often include the Golden Triangle and the downtown core. Put the full address in the request.
Can the move happen on the first of the month?
Month-end is busy, and Move-Ottawa Movers counts it among its peak days along with weekends and pre-long-weekend Fridays. Ask early and name a backup date.
My landlord needs proof of insurance. Who provides it?
Buildings often ask the moving company for a certificate. Ask the company that calls whether it issues one and how fast. Ontario.ca also advises asking whether a mover’s cover includes things you packed yourself.
