Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genk and Hamilton, Canada

Name: Hamilton
Address: Hamilton, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Genk: $1,828 a month against $2,379 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Genk
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Genk Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Genk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,828

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,828 in Genk versus $2,379 in Hamilton.

Genk $1,828
Hamilton $2,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,767 in Genk versus $3,409 in Hamilton.

Genk $2,767
Hamilton $3,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,706 in Genk versus $4,440 in Hamilton.

Genk $3,706
Hamilton $4,440

Living in Genk costs roughly 23% less than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Genk 34% above, Hamilton 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.16 €20.80

$17.79 CA$24.97

30.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €80.2

$68.9 CA$96.6

29.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.97

$12.21 CA$17.13

9.09%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.88

$3.48 CA$4.89

24.14%

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

$2.64 €2.37

$2.18 CA$3.06

21.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.66 CA$2.33

37.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.08

$5.06 CA$7.10

-10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.54

$6.21 CA$8.71

-36.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.99 CA$2.79

-54.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 €2.58

$2.04 CA$2.86

40.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$3.15 CA$4.43

-26.35%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.53

$3.39 CA$4.75

15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 €8.16

$7.90 CA$11.09

14.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.42 €6.67

$11.46 CA$16.08

-35.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 €10.11

$14.97 CA$21.00

-24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$4.06 CA$5.70

-40.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.31 CA$1.85

80.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$4.04 CA$5.67

-36.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$3.76 CA$5.28

-22.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.66 CA$3.73

-4.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.93 CA$2.71

-6.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.97 CA$2.77

-23.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.34 CA$1.88

-17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.70 €11.41

$12.64 CA$17.74

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.67

$14.09 CA$19.77

-47.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.66 CA$3.73

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$4.04 CA$5.66

-71.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.94

$2.64 CA$3.71

23.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.51

$91.2 CA$128

-39.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.97

$3.57 CA$5.02

55.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.47

$1.24 CA$1.74

121.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.28 €40.68

$23.74 CA$33.31

90.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.21 CA$1.70

52.07%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$26.1K CA$36.6K

-13.99%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$22.4K CA$31.4K

22.28%

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

$169 €152

$157 CA$220

8.01%

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

$20.43 €18.35

$41.99 CA$58.9

-51.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.91 €36.75

$50.6 CA$71.0

-19.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 €33.08

$34.23 CA$48.04

7.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 €17.79

$17.97 CA$25.21

10.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.31

$10.44 CA$14.65

52.59%

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

$281 €252

$490 CA$687

-42.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K €29.5K

$16.8K CA$23.5K

95.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.8

$49.37 CA$69.3

118.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 €41.87

$31.10 CA$43.64

49.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 €71.0

$87.9 CA$123

-10.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.5

$118 CA$165

-12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 €855

$1,288 CA$1,807

-26.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 €624

$1,220 CA$1,712

-43.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 €1,164

$2,066 CA$2,900

-37.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 €935

$1,830 CA$2,568

-43.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,107 €3,689

$3,105 CA$4,358

32.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,908 €2,612

$2,705 CA$3,796

7.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 €2,044

$3,039 CA$4,265

-25.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

4.6

-23.26%

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

Last update for Genk: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Genk

$694 38%

Hamilton

$1.2K 51.3% 75.7% $525

Eating Out

Genk

$327 17.9%

Hamilton

$274 11.5% 16.3% $53

Groceries & Markets

Genk

$268 14.7%

Hamilton

$341 14.3% 27.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genk

$230 12.6%

Hamilton

$249 10.5% 8.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Genk

$151 8.3%

Hamilton

$129 5.4% 15% $23

Getting Around

Genk

$87 4.8%

Hamilton

$112 4.7% 27.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Genk

$69 3.8%

Hamilton

$55 2.3% 19.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $952 in Genk and $1,288 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Genk vs $69 in Hamilton. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $341, with Genk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Genk

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

5 h behind Genk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,321

519,949

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Genk Hamilton 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Genk
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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

Genk vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Genk is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Genk. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $952 in Genk versus $1,288 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Hamilton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamilton – a meal for two runs $69 versus $89 in Genk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Genk wins on affordability, Hamilton on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.