Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, Canada and Worcester, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,379 a month against $2,799 in Worcester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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 Worcester, MA
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Worcester, MA Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,379

/mo nomad

Worcester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Worcester, 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 Worcester, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,379 in Hamilton versus $2,799 in Worcester, MA.

Hamilton $2,379
Worcester, MA $2,799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,409 in Hamilton versus $3,928 in Worcester, MA.

Hamilton $3,409
Worcester, MA $3,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,440 in Hamilton versus $5,057 in Worcester, MA.

Hamilton $4,440
Worcester, MA $5,057

Living in Hamilton costs roughly 15% less than in Worcester, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 75% above, Worcester, MA 106% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 CA$24.86

$22.27 $22.27

-20.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.2

$72.5 $72.5

-5.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 CA$17.05

$11.79 $11.79

3.56%

Cappuccino

$3.48 CA$4.87

$4.91 $4.91

-29.12%

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

$2.18 CA$3.05

$2.39 $2.39

-8.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$1.66 $1.66

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 CA$7.07

$5.90 $5.90

-14.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.67

$7.11 $7.11

-12.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.77

$1.19 $1.19

67.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.85

$3.70 $3.70

-44.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.41

$5.06 $5.06

-37.75%

Eggs

$3.39 CA$4.73

$3.76 $3.76

-9.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.90 CA$11.04

$18.71 $18.71

-57.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.01

$10.86 $10.86

5.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 CA$20.91

$20.47 $20.47

-26.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.67

$3.64 $3.64

11.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.84

$1.40 $1.40

-6.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$3.45 $3.45

17.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.26

$4.91 $4.91

-23.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.71

$2.98 $2.98

-10.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.70

$3.28 $3.28

-41.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CA$2.76

$1.77 $1.77

11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 CA$1.87

$1.51 $1.51

-11.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 CA$17.66

$13.03 $13.03

-2.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 CA$19.68

$12.12 $12.12

16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CA$3.71

$1.69 $1.69

57.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$3.34 $3.34

20.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 CA$127

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 CA$4.99

$5.07 $5.07

-29.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$2.35 $2.35

-47.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 CA$33.16

$35.64 $35.64

-33.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$1.06 $1.06

14.15%

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

$26.1K CA$36.4K

$27.3K $27.3K

-4.59%

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

$22.4K CA$31.3K

$26.4K $26.4K

-15.33%

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

$157 CA$219

$190 $190

-17.68%

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

$41.99 CA$58.7

$55.4 $55.4

-24.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 CA$70.7

$60.9 $60.9

-16.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 CA$47.83

$33.64 $33.64

1.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 CA$25.10

$29.86 $29.86

-39.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 CA$14.58

$16.61 $16.61

-37.15%

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

$490 CA$684

$1,694 $1,694

-71.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K CA$23.4K

$44.1K $44.1K

-61.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 CA$69.0

$47.11 $47.11

4.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.10 CA$43.45

$35.58 $35.58

-12.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 CA$123

$92.1 $92.1

-4.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 CA$164

$144 $144

-18.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 CA$1,799

$2,026 $2,026

-36.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,704

$1,532 $1,532

-20.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 CA$2,887

$2,951 $2,951

-29.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 CA$2,556

$2,210 $2,210

-17.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,105 CA$4,338

$3,114 $3,114

-0.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 CA$3,779

$2,730 $2,730

-0.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,039 CA$4,246

$4,225 $4,225

-28.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

6.33

-27.33%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Worcester, MA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.2K 51.3%

Worcester, MA

$1.5K 54.7% 25.6% $313

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$341 14.3%

Worcester, MA

$401 14.3% 17.6% $60

Eating Out

Hamilton

$274 11.5%

Worcester, MA

$332 11.9% 21.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$249 10.5%

Worcester, MA

$306 11% 23% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$129 5.4%

Worcester, MA

$143 5.1% 11.4% $15

Getting Around

Hamilton

$112 4.7%

Worcester, MA

$17 * 0.6% 84.9% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$55 2.3%

Worcester, MA

$67 2.4% 21.3% $12

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 $1,288 in Hamilton and $2,026 in Worcester, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Worcester, MA pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Hamilton vs $73 in Worcester, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $401 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇺🇸 Worcester, MA

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

Same time as Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

206,518

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hamilton Worcester, MA 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
Worcester, 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 Worcester, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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 $2,026 in Worcester, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Worcester, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,379 per month in Hamilton versus $2,799 in Worcester, MA – Hamilton is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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