Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aurora, IL and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,253 a month against $2,694 in Aurora, IL, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Aurora, IL
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Aurora, IL Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Aurora, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,694

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aurora, IL and in Hamilton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aurora, IL and in Hamilton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,694 per month in Aurora, IL vs $2,253 in Hamilton, rent included.

Aurora, IL $2,694
Hamilton $2,253

A couple spends around $3,802 per month in Aurora, IL vs $3,331 in Hamilton, rent included.

Aurora, IL $3,802
Hamilton $3,331

A family of three spends $4,909 per month in Aurora, IL vs $4,408 in Hamilton, rent included.

Aurora, IL $4,909
Hamilton $4,408

Aurora, IL costs about 20% more than Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Aurora, IL and Hamilton sit above the global median – Aurora, IL by 100%, Hamilton by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.13 $14.13

$17.21 CA$24.33

-17.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$65.7 CA$92.8

-6.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.87 CA$16.77

1.94%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$3.37 CA$4.77

62.02%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.22 CA$3.14

36.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.69 CA$2.39

35.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.99 CA$7.05

2.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$6.03 CA$8.52

34.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.89 CA$2.67

-56.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.12 CA$2.99

68.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.13 CA$4.43

37.06%

Eggs

$3.51 $3.51

$3.33 CA$4.70

5.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 $8.84

$7.88 CA$11.13

12.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 $11.57

$11.30 CA$15.98

2.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.32 $16.32

$14.24 CA$20.13

14.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.81 CA$5.38

20.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.27 CA$1.79

35.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.98 CA$5.63

-6.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.82 CA$5.40

-17.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.71 CA$3.83

-32.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.91 CA$2.69

39.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.95 CA$2.75

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.33 CA$1.88

17.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 $10.86

$12.49 CA$17.65

-13.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 $13.69

$13.95 CA$19.72

-1.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.65 CA$3.74

-16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.77 CA$5.33

-22.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 CA$3.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$136 $136

$84.1 CA$119

61.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.36 CA$4.76

16.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.28 CA$1.82

53.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.58 $44.58

$23.24 CA$32.85

91.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.21 CA$1.71

-11.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.8K $24.8K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-10.07%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.7K $25.7K

$19.6K CA$27.7K

30.81%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$173 $173

$152 CA$214

13.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$52.6 $52.6

$41.21 CA$58.3

27.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 $55.4

$50.2 CA$70.9

10.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.28 $30.28

$36.85 CA$52.1

-17.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.91

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 $11.81

$10.23 CA$14.46

15.44%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,511 $1,511

$600 CA$848

152.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$16.6K CA$23.4K

38.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$47.93 CA$67.8

16.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 $51.1

$30.45 CA$43.05

67.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$83.8 CA$118

7.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.0 $81.0

$114 CA$161

-28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 $1,651

$1,251 CA$1,769

31.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$1,123 CA$1,588

29.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,168 $2,168

$2,042 CA$2,887

6.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 $2,225

$1,873 CA$2,647

18.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,844 $9,844

$2,695 CA$3,810

265.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,280 $3,280

$2,668 CA$3,771

22.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,858 $3,858

$2,860 CA$4,044

34.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.6

40.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aurora, IL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aurora, IL

$1.5K 54%

Hamilton

$1.1K 49.9% 22.7% $330

Groceries & Markets

Aurora, IL

$354 13.1%

Hamilton

$335 14.9% 5.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aurora, IL

$281 10.4%

Hamilton

$243 10.8% 13.4% $38

Eating Out

Aurora, IL

$278 10.3%

Hamilton

$266 11.8% 4.1% $11

Getting Around

Aurora, IL

$150 * 5.6%

Hamilton

$104 4.6% 30.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Aurora, IL

$125 4.6%

Hamilton

$124 5.5% 0.6% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Aurora, IL

$54 2%

Hamilton

$57 2.5% 6.3% $3.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,651 in Aurora, IL versus $1,251 in Hamilton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Aurora, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aurora, IL versus $66.0 in Hamilton. Groceries tell a different story – $354 in Aurora, IL vs $335 in Hamilton – so Hamilton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aurora, IL

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

1 h ahead of Aurora, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,542

519,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aurora, IL Hamilton 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aurora, IL
Hamilton

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aurora, IL vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aurora, IL costs about 20% more than Hamilton, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,041 per month in Aurora, IL and $3,380 in Hamilton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hamilton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aurora, IL and $66.0 in Hamilton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,694 in Aurora, IL and $2,253 in Hamilton. That's a gap of about 20%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Hamilton, where all-in costs run around $2,253, than in Aurora, IL at $2,694. In Hamilton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aurora, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hamilton costs $2,253 versus $2,694 in Aurora, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Hamilton. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aurora, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.