Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, Canada and Richmond Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,379 a month against $2,769 in Richmond Hill, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Richmond Hill
Learn more

Richmond Hill Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,379

/mo nomad

Richmond Hill

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Richmond Hill

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,379 in Hamilton versus $2,769 in Richmond Hill.

Hamilton $2,379
Richmond Hill $2,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,409 in Hamilton versus $3,844 in Richmond Hill.

Hamilton $3,409
Richmond Hill $3,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,440 in Hamilton versus $4,920 in Richmond Hill.

Hamilton $4,440
Richmond Hill $4,920

Living in Hamilton costs roughly 14% less than in Richmond Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 75% above, Richmond Hill 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 CA$24.97

$18.10 CA$25.40

-1.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.6

$70.1 CA$98.4

-1.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 CA$17.13

$10.56 CA$14.82

15.63%

Cappuccino

$3.48 CA$4.89

$3.69 CA$5.18

-5.69%

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

$2.18 CA$3.06

$1.79 CA$2.51

21.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.33

$1.47 CA$2.06

12.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 CA$7.10

$5.87 CA$8.24

-13.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.71

$5.58 CA$7.84

11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.79

$2.74 CA$3.84

-27.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.71 CA$3.80

-24.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.43

$2.16 CA$3.03

45.83%

Eggs

$3.39 CA$4.75

$4.46 CA$6.26

-23.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.90 CA$11.09

$10.95 CA$15.36

-27.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.08

$11.09 CA$15.57

3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 CA$21.00

$12.85 CA$18.04

16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.70

$3.63 CA$5.10

11.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.85

$1.34 CA$1.89

-2.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.67

$3.42 CA$4.80

18.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.28

$4.00 CA$5.61

-6.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.73

$2.04 CA$2.87

30.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.71

$2.03 CA$2.85

-4.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CA$2.77

$2.33 CA$3.26

-15.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 CA$1.88

$1.47 CA$2.07

-8.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 CA$17.74

$13.36 CA$18.75

-5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 CA$19.77

$12.80 CA$17.96

10.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CA$3.73

$1.83 CA$2.57

45.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CA$5.66

$2.23 CA$3.14

81.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$3.38 CA$4.75

-21.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 CA$128

$157 CA$220

-41.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 CA$5.02

$2.97 CA$4.17

20.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.08 CA$1.52

14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 CA$33.31

$18.89 CA$26.51

25.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$1.23 CA$1.72

-1.63%

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

$26.1K CA$36.6K

$27.5K CA$38.5K

-5.05%

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

$22.4K CA$31.4K

$21.4K CA$30.0K

4.65%

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

$157 CA$220

$137 CA$192

14.42%

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

$41.99 CA$58.9

$34.31 CA$48.15

22.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 CA$71.0

$46.63 CA$65.5

8.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 CA$48.04

$45.55 CA$63.9

-24.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 CA$25.21

$17.78 CA$24.96

1.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 CA$14.65

$10.78 CA$15.13

-3.15%

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

$490 CA$687

$342 CA$480

43.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K CA$23.5K

$10.8K CA$15.1K

55.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 CA$69.3

$44.38 CA$62.3

11.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.10 CA$43.64

$38.78 CA$54.4

-19.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 CA$123

$93.6 CA$131

-6.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 CA$165

$103 CA$145

13.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 CA$1,807

$1,769 CA$2,483

-27.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,712

$1,560 CA$2,190

-21.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 CA$2,900

$2,550 CA$3,579

-18.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 CA$2,568

$2,169 CA$3,045

-15.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,105 CA$4,358

$6,499 CA$9,120

-52.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 CA$3,796

$5,341 CA$7,496

-49.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,039 CA$4,265

$3,159 CA$4,433

-3.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

4.55

1.10%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Richmond Hill: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.2K 51.3%

Richmond Hill

$1.6K 56.4% 27.9% $341

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$341 14.3%

Richmond Hill

$344 12.4% 1% $3.3

Eating Out

Hamilton

$274 11.5%

Richmond Hill

$274 9.9% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$249 10.5%

Richmond Hill

$218 7.9% 12.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$129 5.4%

Richmond Hill

$126 4.6% 2.1% $2.7

Getting Around

Hamilton

$112 4.7%

Richmond Hill

$179 6.5% 60.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$55 2.3%

Richmond Hill

$67 2.4% 21.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Hamilton and $1,769 in Richmond Hill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Richmond Hill pays 4% 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: $69 in Hamilton vs $70 in Richmond Hill for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $344 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇨🇦 Richmond Hill

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

Same time as Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

202,022

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hamilton Richmond Hill 78 km

From you

Hamilton
Richmond Hill

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 Richmond Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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 $1,769 in Richmond Hill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hamilton runs roughly 42% less than in Richmond Hill. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Hamilton versus $342 in Richmond Hill. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Richmond Hill on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.