Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Great Falls, MT

For one person, living costs are similar in Hamilton and in Great Falls, MT: $2,306 and $2,215 a month, rent and utilities included.

111

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Great Falls, MT
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Great Falls, MT Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,306

/mo nomad

Great Falls, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Great Falls, MT

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 Great Falls, MT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,306 per month in Hamilton vs $2,215 in Great Falls, MT, rent included.

Hamilton $2,306
Great Falls, MT $2,215

A couple spends around $3,384 per month in Hamilton vs $3,051 in Great Falls, MT, rent included.

Hamilton $3,384
Great Falls, MT $3,051

A family of three spends $4,461 per month in Hamilton vs $3,887 in Great Falls, MT, rent included.

Hamilton $4,461
Great Falls, MT $3,887

Hamilton costs about 4% more than Great Falls, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hamilton and Great Falls, MT sit above the global median – Hamilton by 70%, Great Falls, MT by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 CA$25.03

$11.57 $11.57

53.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 CA$94.3

$38.01 $38.01

75.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 CA$17.18

$9.43 $9.43

28.84%

Cappuccino

$3.39 CA$4.79

$4.32 $4.32

-21.53%

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

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.29 $2.29

-6.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 CA$2.40

$1.96 $1.96

-13.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.09

$6.11 $6.11

-17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 CA$8.74

$5.92 $5.92

4.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.08 $1.08

79.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.88

$3.29 $3.29

-37.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$4.97 $4.97

-37.63%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.72

$3.22 $3.22

3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 CA$11.18

$16.73 $16.73

-52.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 CA$15.79

$9.69 $9.69

15.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.60 CA$20.65

$12.30 $12.30

18.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.77

$4.98 $4.98

-18.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$1.33 $1.33

-2.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 CA$5.47

$4.12 $4.12

-6.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.22

$2.17 $2.17

70.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.75

$2.44 $2.44

8.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.79 $2.79

-28.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CA$2.81

$2.41 $2.41

-17.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.83

$3.38 $3.38

-61.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 CA$17.66

$8.44 $8.44

47.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.40 CA$20.36

$17.76 $17.76

-18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$2.04 $2.04

29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.37 $4.37

-9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 CA$3.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 CA$123

$29.60 $29.60

193.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 CA$5.00

$6.40 $6.40

-44.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.38 $1.38

-8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.47 CA$33.18

$40.76 $40.76

-42.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$0.99 $0.99

18.18%

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

$26.4K CA$37.3K

$32.5K $32.5K

-18.82%

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

$22.0K CA$31.1K

$24.6K $24.6K

-10.69%

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

$154 CA$217

$132 $132

16.66%

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

$42.63 CA$60.3

$40.11 $40.11

6.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.2

$70.0 $70.0

-27.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.84 CA$53.5

$63.5 $63.5

-40.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 CA$24.59

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 CA$14.59

$11.71 $11.71

-11.87%

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

$610 CA$862

$903 $903

-32.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$23.0K

$14.2K $14.2K

14.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 CA$68.9

$24.83 $24.83

96.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 CA$44.22

$30.15 $30.15

3.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 CA$122

$79.9 $79.9

8.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 CA$169

$64.9 $64.9

83.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 CA$1,752

$1,433 $1,433

-13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 CA$1,635

$1,131 $1,131

2.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,032 CA$2,873

$2,622 $2,622

-22.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,882 CA$2,660

$1,629 $1,629

15.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,708 CA$3,828

$2,209 $2,209

22.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,733 CA$3,863

$2,209 $2,209

23.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 CA$4,225

$3,583 $3,583

-16.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

6.2

-25.81%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 19, 2026

Last update for Great Falls, MT: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.2K 50.2%

Great Falls, MT

$1.1K 51.1% 2.2% $26

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$336 14.6%

Great Falls, MT

$390 17.6% 15.8% $53

Eating Out

Hamilton

$272 11.8%

Great Falls, MT

$232 10.5% 14.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$248 10.7%

Great Falls, MT

$242 10.9% 2.2% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$129 5.6%

Great Falls, MT

$90 4.1% 30.1% $39

Getting Around

Hamilton

$107 4.6%

Great Falls, MT

$43 * 1.9% 59.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$58 2.5%

Great Falls, MT

$87 3.9% 48.7% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,239 in Hamilton versus $1,433 in Great Falls, MT. 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 20% higher in Great Falls, MT, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Hamilton versus $38.00 in Great Falls, MT. Groceries tell a different story – $336 in Hamilton vs $390 in Great Falls, MT – so Hamilton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇺🇸 Great Falls, MT

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

2 h behind Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

60,442

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hamilton Great Falls, MT 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
Great Falls, MT

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

Hamilton vs Great Falls, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton costs about 4% more than Great Falls, MT, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,459 per month in Hamilton and $3,322 in Great Falls, MT. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Great Falls, MT, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% 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 $67.0 in Hamilton and $38.00 in Great Falls, MT. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Great Falls, MT, where all-in costs run around $2,215, than in Hamilton at $2,306. In Great Falls, MT it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamilton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Great Falls, MT costs $2,215 versus $2,306 in Hamilton. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Great Falls, MT. 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.