Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,237 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Hamilton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,237 in Hamilton.

Austin, TX $2,704
Hamilton $2,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,267 in Hamilton.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hamilton $3,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,297 in Hamilton.

Austin, TX $5,562
Hamilton $4,297

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 21% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Hamilton 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$17.65 CA$25.16

14.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$60.7 CA$86.5

40.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.96 CA$17.05

3.26%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.48 CA$4.96

57.18%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.15 CA$3.06

77.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.64 CA$2.34

52.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.87 CA$6.95

65.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.13 CA$8.74

46.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.17 CA$3.09

-47.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.23 CA$3.17

69.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.54 CA$3.62

27.95%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.20 CA$4.55

29.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.91 CA$11.27

65.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.76 CA$15.34

32.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$13.64 CA$19.44

17.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.82 CA$5.45

14.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.21 CA$1.73

19.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$4.04 CA$5.76

12.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.80 CA$5.42

10.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.33 CA$3.32

12.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.58 CA$2.25

49.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.17 CA$3.09

-18.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.30 CA$1.85

66.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$12.33 CA$17.58

-20.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$13.26 CA$18.90

11.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.45 CA$3.49

13.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.37 CA$4.81

3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.49 CA$3.55

-40.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$85.6 CA$122

-52.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.40 CA$4.85

-21.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.23 CA$1.75

28.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$23.37 CA$33.32

51.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.19 CA$1.70

-16.81%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$27.5K CA$39.2K

30.06%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$19.9K CA$28.3K

36.68%

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

$219 $219

$149 CA$212

47.11%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$41.14 CA$58.7

40.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$49.32 CA$70.3

38.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$37.18 CA$53.0

55.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$17.33 CA$24.71

-14.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$10.19 CA$14.52

38.67%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$597 CA$852

152.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.2K CA$23.1K

32.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$48.29 CA$68.8

6.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$30.75 CA$43.83

43.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$86.2 CA$123

-1.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$115 CA$163

-8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,263 CA$1,801

52.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,135 CA$1,617

12.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,006 CA$2,859

82.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,869 CA$2,664

35.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,659 CA$3,790

186.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,694 CA$3,840

18.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$2,896 CA$4,128

76.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.6

47.61%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Hamilton

$1.1K 50.2% 10.8% $138

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Hamilton

$327 14.5% 18.9% $76

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Hamilton

$271 12% 22.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Hamilton

$240 10.6% 30.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Hamilton

$126 5.6% 2.2% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Hamilton

$58 2.6% 33.2% $29

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Hamilton

$105 4.7% 84.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,263 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 76% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $61.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $327 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

519,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hamilton 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hamilton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 76% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,263 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,237 in Hamilton – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hamilton runs roughly 111% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,237 in Hamilton versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hamilton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hamilton delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,237 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hamilton hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.