Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bielefeld and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Bielefeld: $1,957 a month against $2,253 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hamilton outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,957

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,957 per month in Bielefeld vs $2,253 in Hamilton, rent included.

Bielefeld $1,957
Hamilton $2,253

A couple spends around $3,027 per month in Bielefeld vs $3,331 in Hamilton, rent included.

Bielefeld $3,027
Hamilton $3,331

A family of three spends $4,096 per month in Bielefeld vs $4,408 in Hamilton, rent included.

Bielefeld $4,096
Hamilton $4,408

Bielefeld is about 13% cheaper than Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bielefeld and Hamilton sit above the global median – Bielefeld by 45%, Hamilton by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 €11.96

$17.21 CA$24.33

-21.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.0

$65.7 CA$92.8

26.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 €10.74

$11.87 CA$16.77

1.77%

Cappuccino

$3.82 €3.40

$3.37 CA$4.77

13.35%

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

$2.93 €2.61

$2.22 CA$3.14

31.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.69 CA$2.39

73.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.21 €4.63

$4.99 CA$7.05

4.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 €4.53

$6.03 CA$8.52

-15.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.89 CA$2.67

-30.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.12 CA$2.99

0.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.13 CA$4.43

23.64%

Eggs

$3.75 €3.33

$3.33 CA$4.70

12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 €12.73

$7.88 CA$11.13

81.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 €10.27

$11.30 CA$15.98

2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.62 €20.12

$14.24 CA$20.13

58.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.81 CA$5.38

-11.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.27 CA$1.79

66.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.98 CA$5.63

-48.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 €4.47

$3.82 CA$5.40

31.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$2.71 CA$3.83

-50.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.91 CA$2.69

-30.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.95 CA$2.75

-18.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.33 CA$1.88

-22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.42 €8.38

$12.49 CA$17.65

-24.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 €5.57

$13.95 CA$19.72

-55.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.65 CA$3.74

-62.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.77 CA$5.33

-56.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €2.99

$2.56 CA$3.62

31.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 €56.8

$84.1 CA$119

-24.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 €4.83

$3.36 CA$4.76

61.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.28 CA$1.82

114.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.50 €32.47

$23.24 CA$32.85

57.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.21 CA$1.71

78.51%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

16.74%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$19.6K CA$27.7K

98.05%

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

$296 €263

$152 CA$214

95.25%

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

$30.81 €27.40

$41.21 CA$58.3

-25.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.64 €39.70

$50.2 CA$70.9

-11.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 €30.18

$36.85 CA$52.1

-7.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.84 €34.54

$17.62 CA$24.91

120.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.44 €13.73

$10.23 CA$14.46

50.93%

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

$400 €356

$600 CA$848

-33.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K €25.1K

$16.6K CA$23.4K

70.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 €81.0

$47.93 CA$67.8

90.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.07 €34.75

$30.45 CA$43.05

28.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.0

$83.8 CA$118

4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$235 €209

$114 CA$161

106.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$688 €612

$1,251 CA$1,769

-45.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 €559

$1,123 CA$1,588

-44.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 €1,091

$2,042 CA$2,887

-39.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,024

$1,873 CA$2,647

-38.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,642 €4,128

$2,695 CA$3,810

72.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,210 €1,965

$2,668 CA$3,771

-17.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,807 €2,496

$2,860 CA$4,044

-1.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

4.6

-14.13%

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

Last update for Bielefeld: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bielefeld

$629 32.1%

Hamilton

$1.1K 49.9% 78.6% $494

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bielefeld

$371 19%

Hamilton

$243 10.8% 34.6% $128

Groceries & Markets

Bielefeld

$342 17.5%

Hamilton

$335 14.9% 2.2% $7.7

Eating Out

Bielefeld

$249 12.7%

Hamilton

$266 11.8% 6.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Bielefeld

$204 10.4%

Hamilton

$124 5.5% 39% $80

Getting Around

Bielefeld

$96 4.9%

Hamilton

$104 4.6% 8% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bielefeld

$65 3.3%

Hamilton

$57 2.5% 11.6% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $688 in Bielefeld 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 2% higher in Hamilton, 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 $83.0 in Bielefeld versus $66.0 in Hamilton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $335 – making Hamilton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

11:40 11:40 AM

6 h behind Bielefeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

328,012

519,949

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bielefeld Hamilton 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bielefeld
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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

Bielefeld vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hamilton is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,936 per month in Bielefeld 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 Bielefeld, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Hamilton – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Bielefeld and $66.0 in Hamilton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bielefeld, where all-in costs run around $1,957, than in Hamilton at $2,253. In Bielefeld it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamilton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bielefeld – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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