Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Portsmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,253 a month against $2,763 in Portsmouth, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,253

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Portsmouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,253 in Hamilton versus $2,763 in Portsmouth.

Hamilton $2,253
Portsmouth $2,763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,331 in Hamilton versus $3,798 in Portsmouth.

Hamilton $3,331
Portsmouth $3,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,408 in Hamilton versus $4,834 in Portsmouth.

Hamilton $4,408
Portsmouth $4,834

Living in Hamilton costs roughly 18% less than in Portsmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 67% above, Portsmouth 105% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 CA$24.33

$19.81 £14.86

-13.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.7 CA$92.8

$66.4 £49.78

-1.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 CA$16.77

$10.34 £7.76

14.80%

Cappuccino

$3.37 CA$4.77

$4.79 £3.59

-29.65%

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

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.66 £1.99

-16.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 CA$2.39

$2.27 £1.71

-25.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 CA$7.05

$6.18 £4.63

-19.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 CA$8.52

$5.83 £4.38

3.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CA$2.67

$1.41 £1.06

34.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 CA$2.99

$1.58 £1.18

34.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CA$4.43

$3.69 £2.77

-15.18%

Eggs

$3.33 CA$4.70

$3.39 £2.55

-1.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 CA$11.13

$13.26 £9.95

-40.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 CA$15.98

$8.32 £6.24

35.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.24 CA$20.13

$13.02 £9.77

9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.38

$3.86 £2.90

-1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.91 £1.43

-33.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.63

$2.85 £2.14

39.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.40

$3.34 £2.51

14.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$1.65 £1.23

64.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CA$2.69

$1.63 £1.23

17.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 CA$2.75

$1.20 £0.90

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CA$1.88

$1.52 £1.14

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 CA$17.65

$23.07 £17.31

-45.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.95 CA$19.72

$11.29 £8.47

23.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$2.94 £2.21

-9.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$2.14 £1.60

76.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$4.08 £3.06

-37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$119

$88.0 £66.0

-4.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 CA$4.76

$5.16 £3.87

-34.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.82

$1.60 £1.20

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.24 CA$32.85

$20.02 £15.02

16.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$2.08 £1.56

-41.83%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$38.6K £29.0K

-28.47%

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

$19.6K CA$27.7K

$40.1K £30.1K

-51.14%

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

$152 CA$214

$654 £491

-76.83%

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

$41.21 CA$58.3

$14.83 £11.12

177.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CA$70.9

$42.05 £31.55

19.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 CA$52.1

$38.39 £28.80

-4.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.91

$17.15 £12.86

2.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.23 CA$14.46

$10.65 £7.99

-3.94%

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

$600 CA$848

$1,249 £937

-52.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K CA$23.4K

$20.0K £15.0K

-17.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$90.5 £67.9

-47.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.45 CA$43.05

$39.83 £29.88

-23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 CA$118

$98.6 £74.0

-14.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$161

$120 £89.8

-4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 CA$1,769

$1,457 £1,093

-14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 CA$1,588

$1,098 £824

2.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 CA$2,887

$2,091 £1,569

-2.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 CA$2,647

$1,714 £1,286

9.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,695 CA$3,810

$4,504 £3,378

-40.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,668 CA$3,771

$3,703 £2,778

-27.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,860 CA$4,044

$3,350 £2,513

-14.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

5.16

-10.85%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.1K 49.9%

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.8% 2.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$335 14.9%

Portsmouth

$310 11.2% 7.3% $24

Eating Out

Hamilton

$266 11.8%

Portsmouth

$309 11.2% 16.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$243 10.8%

Portsmouth

$711 25.7% 193% $468

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$124 5.5%

Portsmouth

$157 5.7% 26.3% $33

Getting Around

Hamilton

$104 4.6%

Portsmouth

$118 4.3% 12.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$57 2.5%

Portsmouth

$60 2.2% 4.2% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,251 in Hamilton and $1,457 in Portsmouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth pays 17% 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: $66.0 in Hamilton vs $66.0 in Portsmouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $335 vs $310, with Portsmouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

18:27 6:27 PM

5 h ahead of Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

198,974

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Hamilton Portsmouth 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Portsmouth. 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 $1,457 in Portsmouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $600 in Hamilton versus $1,249 in Portsmouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Portsmouth pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,253 in Hamilton versus $2,763 in Portsmouth, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Portsmouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.