Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Kiel

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiel: $1,996 a month against $2,237 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hamilton outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Kiel
Learn more

Kiel Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,237

/mo nomad

Kiel

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Kiel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,237 in Hamilton versus $1,996 in Kiel.

Hamilton $2,237
Kiel $1,996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,267 in Hamilton versus $3,036 in Kiel.

Hamilton $3,267
Kiel $3,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,297 in Hamilton versus $4,075 in Kiel.

Hamilton $4,297
Kiel $4,075

Living in Hamilton is roughly 12% more expensive than in Kiel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 67% above, Kiel 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$25.16

$16.52 €14.74

6.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 CA$86.5

$83.5 €74.5

-27.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 CA$17.05

$12.55 €11.20

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$3.48 CA$4.96

$3.94 €3.51

-11.68%

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

$2.15 CA$3.06

$3.87 €3.45

-44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.34

$3.30 €2.95

-50.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 CA$6.95

$5.69 €5.08

-14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 CA$8.74

$4.52 €4.03

35.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.23 €1.10

76.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$2.63 €2.34

-15.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 CA$3.62

$3.27 €2.92

-22.32%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.55

$4.02 €3.58

-20.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 CA$11.27

$16.04 €14.32

-50.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.34

$12.40 €11.07

-13.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 CA$19.44

$26.79 €23.91

-49.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.45

$3.10 €2.77

23.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.73

$2.15 €1.92

-43.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.76

$2.33 €2.08

73.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.42

$3.53 €3.15

7.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.32

$1.53 €1.37

52.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.25

$1.29 €1.15

22.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.74 €1.55

24.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 CA$1.85

$0.85 €0.76

52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.33 CA$17.58

$10.43 €9.31

18.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 CA$18.90

$6.21 €5.54

113.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.49

$1.09 €0.98

124.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 CA$4.81

$1.54 €1.38

118.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 CA$3.55

$2.97 €2.65

-16.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.6 CA$122

$69.9 €62.4

22.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$3.91 €3.49

-13.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 CA$1.75

$2.27 €2.03

-45.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.37 CA$33.32

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.70

$2.22 €1.98

-46.40%

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

$27.5K CA$39.2K

$33.3K €29.7K

-17.33%

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

$19.9K CA$28.3K

$37.8K €33.7K

-47.40%

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

$149 CA$212

$298 €266

-49.96%

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

$41.14 CA$58.7

$22.89 €20.43

79.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 CA$70.3

$49.10 €43.81

0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.18 CA$53.0

$40.89 €36.49

-9.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 CA$24.71

$45.31 €40.43

-61.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.52

$13.23 €11.81

-22.98%

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

$597 CA$852

$295 €263

102.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.29 CA$68.8

$76.7 €68.4

-37.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.75 CA$43.83

$69.7 €62.2

-55.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 CA$123

$101 €89.7

-14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 CA$163

$114 €102

0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 CA$1,801

$710 €634

77.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 CA$1,617

$644 €575

76.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 CA$2,859

$1,471 €1,312

36.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 CA$2,664

$1,037 €925

80.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,659 CA$3,790

$5,322 €4,749

-50.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 CA$3,840

$2,829 €2,524

-4.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,896 CA$4,128

$3,251 €2,901

-10.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

3.95

16.46%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kiel: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.1K 50.2%

Kiel

$644 32.5% 43.2% $491

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$327 14.5%

Kiel

$359 18.1% 9.8% $32

Eating Out

Hamilton

$271 12%

Kiel

$283 14.3% 4.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$240 10.6%

Kiel

$370 18.7% 54.4% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$126 5.6%

Kiel

$162 8.2% 28.9% $36

Getting Around

Hamilton

$105 4.7%

Kiel

$97 4.9% 7.6% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$58 2.6%

Kiel

$67 3.4% 17% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,263 in Hamilton and $710 in Kiel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kiel pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Hamilton vs $84.0 in Kiel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $359 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇩🇪 Kiel

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

6 h ahead of Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

246,306

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hamilton Kiel 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
Kiel

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 Kiel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiel is cheaper overall, especially in transport and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Kiel. 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: $1,263 in Hamilton versus $710 in Kiel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $597 in Hamilton versus $295 in Kiel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hamilton pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,996 in Kiel versus $2,237 in Hamilton, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Kiel but tight or insufficient in Hamilton. The gap between the two cities makes Kiel the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kiel 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.

Safety-wise, Hamilton and Kiel 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 Kiel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Hamilton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.