Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, Canada and Harrisonburg, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,379 a month against $2,461 in Harrisonburg, VA, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. The total is higher in Harrisonburg, VA despite lower rent and utilities.

113

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Harrisonburg, VA
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Harrisonburg, VA Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,379

/mo nomad

Harrisonburg, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Harrisonburg, VA

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 Harrisonburg, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,379 in Hamilton versus $2,461 in Harrisonburg, VA.

Hamilton $2,379
Harrisonburg, VA $2,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,409 in Hamilton versus $3,283 in Harrisonburg, VA.

Hamilton $3,409
Harrisonburg, VA $3,283

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,440 in Hamilton versus $4,105 in Harrisonburg, VA.

Hamilton $4,440
Harrisonburg, VA $4,105

Living in Hamilton costs roughly 3% less than in Harrisonburg, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 75% above, Harrisonburg, VA 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 CA$24.97

$23.40 $23.40

-23.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.6

$67.3 $67.3

2.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 CA$17.13

$8.94 $8.94

36.58%

Cappuccino

$3.48 CA$4.89

$5.02 $5.02

-30.68%

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

$2.18 CA$3.06

$2.64 $2.64

-17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.33

$2.06 $2.06

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 CA$7.10

$6.98 $6.98

-27.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.71

$8.08 $8.08

-23.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.79

$0.89 $0.89

123.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.86

$3.11 $3.11

-34.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.43

$3.90 $3.90

-19.23%

Eggs

$3.39 CA$4.75

$5.48 $5.48

-38.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.90 CA$11.09

$9.84 $9.84

-19.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.08

$7.67 $7.67

49.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 CA$21.00

$18.93 $18.93

-20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.70

$3.93 $3.93

3.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.85

$1.45 $1.45

-9.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.67

$3.96 $3.96

2.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.28

$3.56 $3.56

5.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.73

$2.46 $2.46

8.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.71

$2.22 $2.22

-13.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CA$2.77

$2.43 $2.43

-18.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 CA$1.88

$2.06 $2.06

-34.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 CA$17.74

$6.79 $6.79

86.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 CA$19.77

$11.62 $11.62

21.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CA$3.73

$1.97 $1.97

35.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CA$5.66

$2.74 $2.74

47.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$1.99 $1.99

32.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 CA$128

$25.19 $25.19

262.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 CA$5.02

$2.52 $2.52

41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.56 $1.56

-20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 CA$33.31

$22.52 $22.52

5.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$0.92 $0.92

31.52%

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

$26.1K CA$36.6K

$27.3K $27.3K

-4.45%

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

$22.4K CA$31.4K

$25.7K $25.7K

-12.93%

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

$157 CA$220

$136 $136

15.51%

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

$41.99 CA$58.9

$61.7 $61.7

-31.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 CA$71.0

$72.2 $72.2

-29.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 CA$48.04

$44.83 $44.83

-23.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 CA$25.21

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 CA$14.65

$15.26 $15.26

-31.59%

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

$490 CA$687

$799 $799

-38.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K CA$23.5K

$30.5K $30.5K

-45.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 CA$69.3

$71.2 $71.2

-30.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.10 CA$43.64

$45.30 $45.30

-31.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 CA$123

$88.8 $88.8

-0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 CA$165

$109 $109

7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 CA$1,807

$1,281 $1,281

0.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,712

$1,238 $1,238

-1.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 CA$2,900

$1,836 $1,836

12.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 CA$2,568

$1,372 $1,372

33.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,105 CA$4,358

$2,223 $2,223

39.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 CA$3,796

$2,213 $2,213

22.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,039 CA$4,265

$4,198 $4,198

-27.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

6.49

-29.12%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Harrisonburg, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.2K 51.3%

Harrisonburg, VA

$1.2K 50.3% 1.5% $18

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$341 14.3%

Harrisonburg, VA

$349 14.2% 2.4% $8.3

Eating Out

Hamilton

$274 11.5%

Harrisonburg, VA

$344 14% 25.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$249 10.5%

Harrisonburg, VA

$269 11% 8.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$129 5.4%

Harrisonburg, VA

$142 5.8% 10.1% $13

Getting Around

Hamilton

$112 4.7%

Harrisonburg, VA

$43 1.8% 61% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$55 2.3%

Harrisonburg, VA

$75 3.1% 36.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Hamilton and $1,281 in Harrisonburg, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harrisonburg, VA pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Hamilton vs $67 in Harrisonburg, VA. Groceries flip the comparison at $341 vs $349, with Hamilton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇺🇸 Harrisonburg, VA

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

Same time as Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

54,215

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Hamilton Harrisonburg, VA 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
Harrisonburg, VA

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 Harrisonburg, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Hamilton. 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: $1,288 in Hamilton versus $1,281 in Harrisonburg, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Harrisonburg, VA runs roughly 72% less than in Hamilton. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,379 per month in Hamilton versus $2,461 in Harrisonburg, VA – Hamilton is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 – Hamilton wins on affordability, Harrisonburg, VA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.