Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Watertown, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Watertown, NY: $2,027 a month against $2,253 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Watertown, NY
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Watertown, NY Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,253

/mo nomad

Watertown, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Watertown, NY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,253 in Hamilton versus $2,027 in Watertown, NY.

Hamilton $2,253
Watertown, NY $2,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,331 in Hamilton versus $3,043 in Watertown, NY.

Hamilton $3,331
Watertown, NY $3,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,408 in Hamilton versus $4,058 in Watertown, NY.

Hamilton $4,408
Watertown, NY $4,058

Living in Hamilton is roughly 11% more expensive than in Watertown, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 67% above, Watertown, NY 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 CA$24.33

$13.72 $13.72

25.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.7 CA$92.8

$64.0 $64.0

2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 CA$16.77

$11.93 $11.93

-0.50%

Cappuccino

$3.37 CA$4.77

$4.02 $4.02

-16.17%

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

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.64 $2.64

-15.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 CA$2.39

$2.10 $2.10

-19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 CA$7.05

$5.07 $5.07

-1.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 CA$8.52

$7.03 $7.03

-14.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CA$2.67

$0.86 $0.86

119.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 CA$2.99

$2.74 $2.74

-22.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CA$4.43

$5.59 $5.59

-44.01%

Eggs

$3.33 CA$4.70

$3.01 $3.01

10.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 CA$11.13

$13.05 $13.05

-39.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 CA$15.98

$4.28 $4.28

164.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.24 CA$20.13

$15.98 $15.98

-10.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.38

$3.56 $3.56

7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.48 $1.48

-14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.63

$2.22 $2.22

79.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.40

$5.15 $5.15

-25.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$2.65 $2.65

2.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CA$2.69

$2.99 $2.99

-36.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 CA$2.75

$0.98 $0.98

98.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CA$1.88

$0.51 $0.51

160.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 CA$17.65

$14.44 $14.44

-13.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.95 CA$19.72

$9.12 $9.12

52.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$1.56 $1.56

69.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$1.98 $1.98

90.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 CA$3.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 CA$4.76

$5.15 $5.15

-34.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.82

$2.21 $2.21

-42.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.24 CA$32.85

$45.90 $45.90

-49.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$0.94 $0.94

28.72%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$35.6K $35.6K

-22.36%

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

$19.6K CA$27.7K

$25.5K $25.5K

-22.99%

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

$152 CA$214

$188 $188

-19.46%

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

$41.21 CA$58.3

$52.4 $52.4

-21.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CA$70.9

$66.4 $66.4

-24.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 CA$52.1

$37.14 $37.14

-0.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.91

Cinema Ticket

$10.23 CA$14.46

$10.91 $10.91

-6.23%

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

$600 CA$848

$1,484 $1,484

-59.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K CA$23.4K

$32.2K $32.2K

-48.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$29.66 $29.66

61.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.45 CA$43.05

$44.13 $44.13

-31.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 CA$118

$88.6 $88.6

-5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$161

$102 $102

12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 CA$1,769

$1,147 $1,147

9.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 CA$1,588

$980 $980

14.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 CA$2,887

$1,600 $1,600

27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 CA$2,647

$1,781 $1,781

5.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,695 CA$3,810

$1,477 $1,477

82.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,668 CA$3,771

$1,502 $1,502

77.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,860 CA$4,044

$3,401 $3,401

-15.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

6.52

-29.45%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Last update for Watertown, NY: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.1K 49.9%

Watertown, NY

$980 48.3% 12.8% $144

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$335 14.9%

Watertown, NY

$294 14.5% 12.1% $41

Eating Out

Hamilton

$266 11.8%

Watertown, NY

$252 12.4% 5.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$243 10.8%

Watertown, NY

$307 15.1% 26.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$124 5.5%

Watertown, NY

$119 5.9% 4.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Hamilton

$104 4.6%

Watertown, NY

$16 * 0.8% 84.4% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$57 2.5%

Watertown, NY

$59 2.9% 2.9% $1.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,251 in Hamilton and $1,147 in Watertown, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Watertown, NY pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Hamilton vs $64.0 in Watertown, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $294 per month, with Watertown, NY cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇺🇸 Watertown, NY

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

Same time as Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

31,915

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hamilton Watertown, NY 330 km

From you

Hamilton
Watertown, NY

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 Watertown, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Watertown, NY is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Watertown, NY. 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 $1,147 in Watertown, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Hamilton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,253 per month in Hamilton versus $2,027 in Watertown, NY – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,027 in Watertown, NY versus $2,253 in Hamilton, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Watertown, NY but tight or insufficient in Hamilton. The gap between the two cities makes Watertown, NY the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Watertown, NY 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.

Expats usually find Watertown, NY gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Hamilton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.