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: $2,874 in Portsmouth versus $2,321 in Hamilton.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,882 in Portsmouth versus $3,399 in Hamilton.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,890 in Portsmouth versus $4,477 in Hamilton.

Living in Portsmouth is roughly 24% more expensive than in Hamilton, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portsmouth 109% above, Hamilton 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 £14.91

$18.38 CA$25.54

9.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 £49.84

$68.1 CA$94.7

-1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.64 £7.87

$12.51 CA$17.38

-14.95%

Cappuccino

$4.88 £3.61

$3.56 CA$4.94

37.08%

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

$2.81 £2.08

$2.20 CA$3.06

27.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 £1.72

$1.74 CA$2.42

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 £4.78

$5.18 CA$7.20

24.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 £4.42

$6.50 CA$9.04

-8.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 £1.04

$2.05 CA$2.85

-31.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.20

$2.22 CA$3.09

-26.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 £2.70

$2.84 CA$3.94

28.52%

Eggs

$3.49 £2.58

$3.44 CA$4.78

1.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 £10.32

$7.57 CA$10.52

84.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 £6.34

$10.40 CA$14.46

-17.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 £10.07

$14.04 CA$19.52

-3.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 £2.98

$3.91 CA$5.44

2.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 £1.40

$1.28 CA$1.78

47.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.14

$4.27 CA$5.93

-32.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 £2.53

$3.92 CA$5.45

-12.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.20

$2.64 CA$3.66

-38.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.75 CA$2.43

-2.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$2.34 CA$3.26

-48.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 £1.10

$1.46 CA$2.03

2.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.33 £17.26

$14.22 CA$19.76

64.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.57 £8.56

$13.06 CA$18.15

-11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.35

$2.38 CA$3.31

33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$4.19 CA$5.82

-47.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.96 £2.93

$2.74 CA$3.81

44.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 £66.9

$87.7 CA$122

3.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 £4.11

$3.50 CA$4.86

58.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 £1.16

$1.33 CA$1.85

17.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.73 £15.34

$23.47 CA$32.62

-11.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.53

$1.19 CA$1.65

73.95%

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

$39.0K £28.8K

$28.9K CA$40.2K

34.83%

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

$41.5K £30.7K

$20.1K CA$27.9K

106.50%

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

$668 £494

$151 CA$209

343.28%

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

$15.19 £11.24

$40.12 CA$55.8

-62.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.39 £32.85

$51.2 CA$71.1

-13.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.70 £28.64

$37.62 CA$52.3

2.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.60 £13.02

$21.56 CA$29.96

-18.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 £8.13

$10.27 CA$14.27

7.01%

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

$1,306 £966

$615 CA$855

112.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K £15.1K

$16.6K CA$23.1K

22.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 £68.5

$50.2 CA$69.8

84.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.15 £30.45

$34.50 CA$47.94

19.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £75.9

$91.9 CA$128

11.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 £93.3

$121 CA$168

4.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 £1,095

$1,320 CA$1,834

12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 £851

$1,211 CA$1,683

-5.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,595

$2,063 CA$2,867

4.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 £1,271

$1,928 CA$2,680

-10.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,631 £3,427

$2,814 CA$3,910

64.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 £2,878

$2,808 CA$3,902

38.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,539 £2,619

$2,912 CA$4,047

21.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

4.6

12.17%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: August 31, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,480 in Portsmouth and $1,320 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth pays 22% 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: $67.0 in Portsmouth vs $68.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $333 per month, with Portsmouth cheaper across the board.

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, Sport & Entertainment. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Portsmouth, 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: $1,480 in Portsmouth versus $1,320 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,306 in Portsmouth versus $615 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Portsmouth pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,321 in Hamilton versus $2,874 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 24% less than in Portsmouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.