Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gavle and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,439 a month against $2,306 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,306 in Hamilton.

Gavle $1,439
Hamilton $2,306

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Gavle versus $3,384 in Hamilton.

Gavle $2,286
Hamilton $3,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,134 in Gavle versus $4,461 in Hamilton.

Gavle $3,134
Hamilton $4,461

Living in Gavle costs roughly 38% less than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gavle 6% above, Hamilton 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 SEK 136

$17.71 CA$25.03

-22.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 SEK 786

$66.7 CA$94.3

19.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 SEK 92.2

$12.15 CA$17.18

-23.37%

Cappuccino

$4.42 SEK 43.79

$3.39 CA$4.79

30.38%

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

$2.07 SEK 20.51

$2.15 CA$3.04

-3.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 SEK 18.95

$1.70 CA$2.40

12.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 SEK 77.2

$5.02 CA$7.09

55.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.75 SEK 76.8

$6.18 CA$8.74

25.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.12

$1.94 CA$2.74

-15.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 SEK 25.84

$2.04 CA$2.88

27.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 SEK 36.95

$3.10 CA$4.38

20.32%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.80

$3.34 CA$4.72

14.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 SEK 90.4

$7.91 CA$11.18

15.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 SEK 102

$11.17 CA$15.79

-7.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 SEK 186

$14.60 CA$20.65

28.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 SEK 30.25

$4.08 CA$5.77

-25.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.16

$1.30 CA$1.84

110.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 SEK 32.43

$3.87 CA$5.47

-15.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 SEK 43.07

$3.69 CA$5.22

17.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 SEK 17.12

$2.65 CA$3.75

-34.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 SEK 17.99

$2.00 CA$2.82

-9.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 SEK 25.26

$1.99 CA$2.81

28.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.35

$1.29 CA$1.83

58.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.99 SEK 79.1

$12.49 CA$17.66

-36.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 SEK 110

$14.40 CA$20.36

-22.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SEK 16.23

$2.65 CA$3.74

-38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SEK 15.34

$3.97 CA$5.61

-60.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 SEK 32.22

$2.52 CA$3.56

28.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 SEK 598

$87.0 CA$123

-30.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 SEK 44.83

$3.54 CA$5.00

27.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 SEK 15.16

$1.26 CA$1.78

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.87 SEK 336

$23.47 CA$33.18

44.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.90

$1.17 CA$1.65

54.70%

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

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

$26.4K CA$37.3K

-2.37%

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

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

$22.0K CA$31.1K

27.78%

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

$55.6 SEK 551

$154 CA$217

-63.84%

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

$21.93 SEK 217

$42.63 CA$60.3

-48.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.60 SEK 392

$51.1 CA$72.2

-22.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.32 SEK 469

$37.84 CA$53.5

25.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 CA$24.59

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SEK 151

$10.32 CA$14.59

47.48%

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

$133 SEK 1,321

$610 CA$862

-78.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

$16.3K CA$23.0K

-6.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 SEK 699

$48.77 CA$68.9

44.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 SEK 583

$31.28 CA$44.22

87.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 SEK 505

$86.6 CA$122

-41.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 SEK 887

$119 CA$169

-24.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 SEK 5,738

$1,239 CA$1,752

-53.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 SEK 4,208

$1,157 CA$1,635

-63.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SEK 7,546

$2,032 CA$2,873

-62.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 SEK 6,593

$1,882 CA$2,660

-64.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

$2,708 CA$3,828

-28.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

$2,733 CA$3,863

-51.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

$2,989 CA$4,225

5.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

4.6

-26.74%

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

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gavle

$425 29.5%

Hamilton

$1.2K 50.2% 172% $732

Groceries & Markets

Gavle

$351 24.4%

Hamilton

$336 14.6% 4.2% $15

Eating Out

Gavle

$261 18.1%

Hamilton

$272 11.8% 4.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Gavle

$121 8.4%

Hamilton

$129 5.6% 6% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gavle

$117 8.1%

Hamilton

$248 10.7% 111% $130

Getting Around

Gavle

$86 6%

Hamilton

$107 4.6% 24.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Gavle

$78 5.4%

Hamilton

$58 2.5% 24.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $579 in Gavle and $1,239 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gavle pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Gavle vs $67.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $336 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gavle

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

6 h behind Gavle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

519,949

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gavle Hamilton 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Gavle
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

Gavle vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gavle and Hamilton differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,439 vs $2,306 including rent). Gavle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Gavle, 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: $579 in Gavle versus $1,239 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gavle runs roughly 44% less than in Hamilton. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $133 in Gavle versus $610 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,306 in Hamilton, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Hamilton. The gap between the two cities makes Gavle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Gavle and Hamilton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gavle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Hamilton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.