Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Hamilton and in Calgary: $2,253 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,253

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Calgary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,253 in Hamilton versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Hamilton $2,253
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,331 in Hamilton versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Hamilton $3,331
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,408 in Hamilton versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Hamilton $4,408
Calgary $4,379

Living in Hamilton is roughly 1% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 67% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 CA$24.33

$17.22 CA$24.34

-0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.7 CA$92.8

$71.1 CA$100

-7.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 CA$16.77

$10.53 CA$14.89

12.73%

Cappuccino

$3.37 CA$4.77

$3.66 CA$5.18

-7.92%

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

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.98 CA$2.80

12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 CA$2.39

$1.94 CA$2.74

-12.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 CA$7.05

$4.95 CA$7.00

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 CA$8.52

$5.57 CA$7.87

8.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CA$2.67

$1.88 CA$2.65

0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 CA$2.99

$2.67 CA$3.78

-20.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CA$4.43

$5.32 CA$7.52

-41.17%

Eggs

$3.33 CA$4.70

$3.79 CA$5.35

-12.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 CA$11.13

$11.09 CA$15.68

-28.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 CA$15.98

$11.36 CA$16.05

-0.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.24 CA$20.13

$18.40 CA$26.01

-22.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.38

$4.56 CA$6.45

-16.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.44 CA$2.04

-11.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.63

$4.08 CA$5.76

-2.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.40

$3.89 CA$5.50

-1.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$2.64 CA$3.73

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CA$2.69

$2.64 CA$3.73

-27.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 CA$2.75

$2.50 CA$3.54

-22.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CA$1.88

$1.50 CA$2.12

-11.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 CA$17.65

$14.05 CA$19.86

-11.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.95 CA$19.72

$15.70 CA$22.20

-11.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$2.44 CA$3.45

8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$3.09 CA$4.37

22.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.82 CA$3.99

-9.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$119

$88.6 CA$125

-5.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 CA$4.76

$3.12 CA$4.41

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.82

$1.35 CA$1.91

-5.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.24 CA$32.85

$27.02 CA$38.20

-13.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.16 CA$1.64

4.31%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-0.99%

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

$19.6K CA$27.7K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

-3.62%

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

$152 CA$214

$161 CA$227

-5.69%

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

$41.21 CA$58.3

$38.13 CA$53.9

8.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CA$70.9

$50.0 CA$70.7

0.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 CA$52.1

$51.5 CA$72.8

-28.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.91

$18.14 CA$25.64

-2.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.23 CA$14.46

$13.82 CA$19.54

-25.98%

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

$600 CA$848

$786 CA$1,111

-23.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K CA$23.4K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

7.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$58.3 CA$82.4

-17.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.45 CA$43.05

$39.27 CA$55.5

-22.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 CA$118

$89.8 CA$127

-6.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$161

$110 CA$155

3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 CA$1,769

$1,229 CA$1,737

1.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 CA$1,588

$1,001 CA$1,415

12.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 CA$2,887

$1,921 CA$2,716

6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 CA$2,647

$1,621 CA$2,292

15.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,695 CA$3,810

$3,549 CA$5,018

-24.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,668 CA$3,771

$3,335 CA$4,715

-20.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,860 CA$4,044

$3,165 CA$4,474

-9.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

4.51

2.00%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.1K 49.9%

Calgary

$1K 45% 10.9% $122

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$335 14.9%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 15.1% $51

Eating Out

Hamilton

$266 11.8%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 0.6% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$243 10.8%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 2.4% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$124 5.5%

Calgary

$134 6% 7.7% $9.5

Getting Around

Hamilton

$104 4.6%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 5.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$57 2.5%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 38.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,251 in Hamilton and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Hamilton vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $385 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

10:56 10:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

2 h behind Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

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Between locations

Hamilton Calgary 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Hamilton vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Calgary. 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: $1,251 in Hamilton versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $66.0 in Hamilton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,253 per month in Hamilton versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,253 in Hamilton, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Hamilton. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hamilton, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Hamilton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.