Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, Canada and Swansea

For one person, living is cheaper in Swansea: $2,196 a month against $2,379 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,379

/mo nomad

Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Swansea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,379 in Hamilton versus $2,196 in Swansea.

Hamilton $2,379
Swansea $2,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,409 in Hamilton versus $3,130 in Swansea.

Hamilton $3,409
Swansea $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,440 in Hamilton versus $4,065 in Swansea.

Hamilton $4,440
Swansea $4,065

Living in Hamilton is roughly 8% more expensive than in Swansea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 75% above, Swansea 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 CA$24.86

$20.41 £15.24

-12.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.2

$63.1 £47.08

9.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 CA$17.05

$10.47 £7.82

16.62%

Cappuccino

$3.48 CA$4.87

$4.76 £3.56

-26.89%

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

$2.18 CA$3.05

$2.36 £1.76

-7.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$1.26 £0.94

31.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 CA$7.07

$5.89 £4.40

-14.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.67

$6.38 £4.77

-2.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.77

$1.34 £1.00

48.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.85

$2.05 £1.53

-0.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.41

$2.06 £1.54

52.91%

Eggs

$3.39 CA$4.73

$3.52 £2.62

-3.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.90 CA$11.04

$7.78 £5.81

1.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.01

$8.33 £6.22

37.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 CA$20.91

$12.87 £9.61

16.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.67

$2.32 £1.73

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.84

$1.24 £0.93

5.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$2.87 £2.14

40.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.26

$3.57 £2.67

5.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.71

$2.25 £1.68

18.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.70

$3.05 £2.28

-36.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CA$2.76

$1.27 £0.95

55.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 CA$1.87

$2.29 £1.71

-41.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 CA$17.66

$23.23 £17.34

-45.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 CA$19.68

$10.63 £7.93

32.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CA$3.71

$2.33 £1.74

14.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$3.40 £2.54

18.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$4.12 £3.08

-35.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 CA$127

$97.1 £72.5

-6.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 CA$4.99

$3.95 £2.95

-9.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$2.68 £2.00

-53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 CA$33.17

$33.33 £24.88

-28.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$1.95 £1.46

-37.95%

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

$26.1K CA$36.4K

$38.9K £29.1K

-32.99%

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

$22.4K CA$31.3K

$40.5K £30.2K

-44.68%

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

$157 CA$219

$306 £229

-48.91%

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

$41.99 CA$58.7

$14.81 £11.06

183.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 CA$70.7

$43.20 £32.26

17.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 CA$47.83

$33.28 £24.85

2.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 CA$25.10

$15.52 £11.59

15.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 CA$14.59

$9.85 £7.36

5.99%

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

$490 CA$684

$1,777 £1,327

-72.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K CA$23.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 CA$69.0

$89.7 £66.9

-44.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.10 CA$43.45

$48.22 £36.01

-35.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 CA$123

$122 £91.3

-28.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 CA$164

$82.6 £61.6

42.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 CA$1,800

$1,112 £830

15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,704

$891 £665

36.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 CA$2,887

$1,500 £1,120

37.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 CA$2,557

$1,337 £999

36.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,105 CA$4,339

$3,563 £2,660

-12.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 CA$3,779

$2,615 £1,952

3.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,039 CA$4,246

$3,263 £2,436

-6.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

6.04

-23.84%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Swansea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.2K 51.3%

Swansea

$891 40.6% 27% $329

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$341 14.3%

Swansea

$293 13.4% 13.9% $47

Eating Out

Hamilton

$274 11.5%

Swansea

$309 14.1% 12.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$249 10.5%

Swansea

$364 16.6% 46.3% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$129 5.4%

Swansea

$154 7% 19.8% $26

Getting Around

Hamilton

$112 4.7%

Swansea

$131 6% 17.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$55 2.3%

Swansea

$53 2.4% 3.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Hamilton and $1,112 in Swansea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swansea pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69 in Hamilton vs $63 in Swansea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $293 per month, with Swansea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇬🇧 Swansea

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

5 h ahead of Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

239,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hamilton Swansea 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
Swansea

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 Swansea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swansea is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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 $1,112 in Swansea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Hamilton versus $1,777 in Swansea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Hamilton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Swansea is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.