Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Hamilton Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Hamilton

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Portsmouth versus $2,507 in Hamilton.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,682 in Portsmouth versus $3,577 in Hamilton.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,803 in Portsmouth versus $4,647 in Hamilton.

Living in Portsmouth is roughly 2% more expensive than Hamilton, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portsmouth 91% above, Hamilton 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 £16.86

$18.39 CA$25.56

23.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £64.9

$74.6 CA$104

16.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 £6.54

$10.84 CA$15.07

-19.00%

Cappuccino

$4.46 £3.32

$4.03 CA$5.60

10.67%

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

$2.19 £1.63

$2.10 CA$2.91

4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.73 CA$2.40

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 £4.35

$5.73 CA$7.97

1.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 £4.59

$6.49 CA$9.02

-4.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 £1.23

$2.23 CA$3.10

-25.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 £1.16

$2.11 CA$2.93

-26.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 £2.13

$3.00 CA$4.17

-4.67%

Eggs

$3.30 £2.46

$3.20 CA$4.44

3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 £6.31

$7.76 CA$10.78

9.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.32 £5.45

$11.64 CA$16.17

-37.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 £11.33

$14.37 CA$19.96

5.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 £3.23

$3.86 CA$5.36

12.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 £1.71

$1.31 CA$1.82

75.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.26

$3.58 CA$4.97

-15.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 £3.47

$3.73 CA$5.18

25.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 £0.91

$2.64 CA$3.66

-53.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$2.20 CA$3.05

-25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 £0.78

$2.22 CA$3.09

-53.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.38

$2.00 CA$2.78

-7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.24 £12.84

$13.59 CA$18.88

26.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 £8.38

$13.08 CA$18.18

-13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 £2.25

$2.47 CA$3.43

22.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.35

$3.01 CA$4.18

-39.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.55

$2.56 CA$3.56

33.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 £67.6

$86.2 CA$120

5.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 £3.34

$3.58 CA$4.98

25.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.21 CA$1.69

42.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.16 £12.04

$24.51 CA$34.06

-34.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.15 CA$1.60

65.22%

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

$38.8K £28.9K

$25.0K CA$34.7K

55.32%

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

$40.4K £30.1K

$20.9K CA$29.1K

92.97%

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

$453 £338

$150 CA$209

202.12%

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

$15.24 £11.35

$38.86 CA$54.0

-60.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.64 £31.01

$53.0 CA$73.6

-21.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.26 £26.26

$36.45 CA$50.6

-3.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 £14.91

$21.88 CA$30.39

-8.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 £8.23

$11.73 CA$16.30

-5.80%

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

$1,296 £965

$644 CA$895

101.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.8K

$22.4K CA$31.1K

-17.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.4 £62.9

$56.6 CA$78.7

49.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.07 £31.34

$34.04 CA$47.30

23.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 £65.5

$97.3 CA$135

-9.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 £101

$120 CA$167

12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 £1,020

$1,346 CA$1,870

1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 £791

$1,306 CA$1,815

-18.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 £1,467

$2,056 CA$2,856

-4.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 £1,305

$1,970 CA$2,737

-11.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,670 £3,479

$2,754 CA$3,826

69.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,850 £2,868

$2,768 CA$3,846

39.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,441 £2,563

$2,916 CA$4,051

18.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.62

-10.88%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: May 31, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,369 in Portsmouth and $1,346 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth pays 18% 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: $87.0 in Portsmouth vs $75.0 in Hamilton. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $343, with Portsmouth cheaper for home cooking.

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

Portsmouth vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Portsmouth pays 18% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,369 in Portsmouth versus $1,346 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,296 in Portsmouth versus $644 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Portsmouth pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,507 in Hamilton versus $2,561 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 2% less than in Portsmouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.