A key consideration for living in a rural village might be to save money on housing. The average home selling price in Crysler in July 2025 is about $100,000 per unit lower than neighbouring Ottawa. Assuming a resident would have a mortgage that initially began at 80% of the selling price, over the life of a 25 year mortgage they would save over $133,000 at current interest rates buying a comparable home in Crysler. On a monthly basis the saving would be about $440 each month. This is a significant difference – enough to fund renovations, pension contributions, exotic vacations or other family expenses. Realistically it means that housing is more affordable in Crysler than Ottawa.

Crysler is part of North Stormont Township. There are only about eight thousand residents in this Municipality. Yet taxes are far lower than comparable housing in surrounding County Municipalities, as well as Ottawa, Russell and Embrun. Residents moving into a new home in Crysler will experience higher taxes than those purchasing older homes, but they are still likely to be comparably less than in the larger urban communities. New homes will see taxes in the $4,000 range annually. Those looking to purchase an existing home, usually with a much bigger lot, will likely pay much less than the new home for taxes. Again, it is difficult to estimate, but those living in comparably priced existing homes could be paying $2,500-$3,500 annually in taxes.

The lower household taxes in Crysler may in part be attributable to an agreement established a number of years ago between the owners of a nearby wind turbine operation that supplies power to Hydro One via huge but virtually silent wind turbines. The turbines sit in farmers’ fields in the area south and west of the village, all within the Township of North Stormont. While quite a distance away from the community, their 300-foot height makes them quite visible in Crysler, but residents hear nothing from these silent wind turbines. The financial element of the agreement with the company requires a sizeable annual financial contribution to the municipality’s capital and reserve funds. And the dump operator, whose operations are 20 minutes east of Crysler and within the municipality, also makes financial and in-kind contributions that help to reduce tax needs for the Township.

The Municipality is led by an involved Council composed of citizens from a wide variety of backgrounds. Their diligence and forward-looking thinking over the years have helped to make Crysler a low residential tax municipality. Relative to the others, as well, they have used funds wisely to make solid capital investments in infrastructure and community that contributes to a positive lifestyle in Crysler.

For residents who commute to Ottawa or Cornwall, the additional cost of gasoline and maintenance for vehicles is much greater than in the cities. If you live in Crysler and commute daily you can expect to log over 25,000km a year commuting. Compare this with an average of about 5,000km per year for a resident of Ottawa. Add more to the annual mileage total for trips to pick up groceries or household needs. At $1.30 per litre this could represent about $4,000 annually for commuting costs alone for Crysler residents vs about $800 annually for those in Ottawa. With greater annual mileage, Crysler residents would also pay much more for maintenance and depreciation. This cost does not include the cost for those requiring parking in the urban community.

And there is no close-by bus service for Crysler commuters, although there is bus commuter service available near Limoges or Embrun (15-20 minutes away). These days, though, more and more residents are benefitting from hybrid, remote office work, which can represent a significant saving. This is not only a financial benefit, but also a time benefit for those who could be spending up to 90 minutes per day commuting to work. With two working household residents, often a second vehicle is purchased. This additional overall car and associated mileage expense affects insurance rates, and overall commuting costs for residents are higher than more urban communities. Home insurance rates, though, tend to be lower.

An important consideration for young families living in rural villages is daycare. Crysler has good day care facilities, notably at the local school, but now also in nearby Berwick. Residents pay about $17 a day for childcare there. The village’s recent growth and influx of young families has made it more difficult to find available daycare, though. The local school daycare recently indicated that it now had a waiting list.  

This is definitely something to be mindful of if looking for quality daycare. While it is difficult to compare, it is estimated that daycare cost per child in Crysler is cheaper than in Ottawa. A CBC news report in April of 2025 indicated that currently the average cost of regulated daycare in Ottawa was $22 per child. Unregulated daycare could be considerably higher – perhaps $60-$100 a day for private daycare. No statistics are available for the cost of private daycare in Crysler. In Ottawa there is a serious shortage of daycare spots, making it likely that many people are sending their kids to private daycare. It would appear that access to affordable daycare is better and at slightly lower cost in Crysler.

Heat and water costs tend to be comparable to the major municipalities, but the rural flat rate hydro cost is much lower in Crysler than in Ottawa or Cornwall, for example.

Crysler’s Community Centre deserves high praise for successfully raising funds from residents to fulfill essential recreational and community needs over the years. Many recreational opportunities such as skating or soccer or beach volleyball, for example, are free or at low cost to Crysler residents.

Monthly dinners at the community centre are fulfilling and at reasonable cost. Many of the local restaurants focus on hamburger and short order meals. Those living in rural areas tend to forego expensive restaurant or entertainment expenditures.

In all, while some expenses are definitely higher living in Crysler, residents will spend less overall on annual expenditures than living in a larger community.