Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Lowell, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,306 a month against $2,689 in Lowell, MA, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Lowell, MA
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Lowell, MA Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,306

/mo nomad

Lowell, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Lowell, MA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,306 in Hamilton versus $2,689 in Lowell, MA.

Hamilton $2,306
Lowell, MA $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,384 in Hamilton versus $4,243 in Lowell, MA.

Hamilton $3,384
Lowell, MA $4,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,461 in Hamilton versus $5,797 in Lowell, MA.

Hamilton $4,461
Lowell, MA $5,797

Living in Hamilton costs roughly 14% less than in Lowell, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 70% above, Lowell, MA 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 CA$25.03

$18.09 $18.09

-2.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 CA$94.3

$69.0 $69.0

-3.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 CA$17.18

$9.24 $9.24

31.49%

Cappuccino

$3.39 CA$4.79

$4.90 $4.90

-30.82%

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

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.02 $2.02

6.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 CA$2.40

$1.65 $1.65

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.09

$4.97 $4.97

1.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 CA$8.74

$8.21 $8.21

-24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$0.81 $0.81

139.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.13 $2.13

-4.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$5.28 $5.28

-41.29%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.72

$4.11 $4.11

-18.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 CA$11.18

$11.15 $11.15

-29.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 CA$15.79

$8.94 $8.94

24.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.60 CA$20.65

$17.47 $17.47

-16.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.77

$2.73 $2.73

49.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$1.22 $1.22

6.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 CA$5.47

$6.82 $6.82

-43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.22

$5.52 $5.52

-33.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.75

$1.67 $1.67

58.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$4.43 $4.43

-54.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CA$2.81

$3.01 $3.01

-33.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.83

$2.20 $2.20

-41.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 CA$17.66

$13.78 $13.78

-9.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.40 CA$20.36

$13.42 $13.42

7.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$1.74 $1.74

52.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.19 $4.19

-5.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 CA$3.56

$1.81 $1.81

39.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 CA$123

$55.2 $55.2

57.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 CA$5.00

$4.04 $4.04

-12.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.75 $1.75

-28.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.47 CA$33.18

$29.46 $29.46

-20.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$0.84 $0.84

39.29%

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

$26.4K CA$37.3K

$27.7K $27.7K

-4.73%

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

$22.0K CA$31.1K

$26.5K $26.5K

-17.23%

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

$154 CA$217

$186 $186

-17.27%

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

$42.63 CA$60.3

$51.6 $51.6

-17.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.2

$66.9 $66.9

-23.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.84 CA$53.5

$40.07 $40.07

-5.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 CA$24.59

$12.45 $12.45

39.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 CA$14.59

$14.05 $14.05

-26.55%

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

$610 CA$862

$1,410 $1,410

-56.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$23.0K

$29.5K $29.5K

-44.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 CA$68.9

$57.8 $57.8

-15.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 CA$44.22

$37.86 $37.86

-17.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 CA$122

$79.2 $79.2

9.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 CA$169

$70.2 $70.2

69.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 CA$1,752

$1,620 $1,620

-23.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 CA$1,635

$1,474 $1,474

-21.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,032 CA$2,873

$3,728 $3,728

-45.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,882 CA$2,660

$3,116 $3,116

-39.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,708 CA$3,828

$3,460 $3,460

-21.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,733 CA$3,863

$3,536 $3,536

-22.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 CA$4,225

$3,963 $3,963

-24.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

6.1

-24.59%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lowell, MA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.2K 50.2%

Lowell, MA

$1.5K 54.8% 27.4% $317

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$336 14.6%

Lowell, MA

$370 13.8% 9.8% $33

Eating Out

Hamilton

$272 11.8%

Lowell, MA

$287 10.7% 5.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$248 10.7%

Lowell, MA

$304 11.3% 23% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$129 5.6%

Lowell, MA

$110 4.1% 14.3% $18

Getting Around

Hamilton

$107 4.6%

Lowell, MA

$75 2.8% 29.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$58 2.5%

Lowell, MA

$68 2.5% 16.6% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,239 in Hamilton and $1,620 in Lowell, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lowell, MA pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Hamilton vs $69.0 in Lowell, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $370 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇺🇸 Lowell, MA

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

Same time as Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

106,519

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Hamilton Lowell, MA 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
Lowell, MA

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 Lowell, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Lowell, MA. 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: $1,239 in Hamilton versus $1,620 in Lowell, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $610 in Hamilton versus $1,410 in Lowell, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lowell, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,306 in Hamilton versus $2,689 in Lowell, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Lowell, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Hamilton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Hamilton and Lowell, MA 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 Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Lowell, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.