Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,237 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Hamilton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Seattle, WA and in Hamilton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA versus $2,237 in Hamilton.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Hamilton $2,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,703 in Seattle, WA versus $3,267 in Hamilton.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Hamilton $3,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,661 in Seattle, WA versus $4,297 in Hamilton.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Hamilton $4,297

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 67% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Hamilton 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$17.65 CA$25.16

39.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$60.7 CA$86.5

63.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$11.96 CA$17.05

27.93%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$3.48 CA$4.96

90.23%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$2.15 CA$3.06

51.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.64 CA$2.34

89.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$4.87 CA$6.95

59.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$6.13 CA$8.74

29.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.17 CA$3.09

-44.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.23 CA$3.17

121.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.54 CA$3.62

142.91%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$3.20 CA$4.55

55.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$7.91 CA$11.27

140.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$10.76 CA$15.34

73.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$13.64 CA$19.44

69.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.82 CA$5.45

55.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.21 CA$1.73

60.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$4.04 CA$5.76

28.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$3.80 CA$5.42

72.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.33 CA$3.32

55.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.58 CA$2.25

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.17 CA$3.09

34.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.30 CA$1.85

83.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$12.33 CA$17.58

0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$13.26 CA$18.90

13.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.45 CA$3.49

75.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$3.37 CA$4.81

68.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.49 CA$3.55

22.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$85.6 CA$122

26.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.40 CA$4.85

-22.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.23 CA$1.75

41.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$23.37 CA$33.32

28.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.19 CA$1.70

22.69%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$27.5K CA$39.2K

33.46%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$19.9K CA$28.3K

29.16%

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

$299 $299

$149 CA$212

100.89%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$41.14 CA$58.7

69.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$49.32 CA$70.3

82.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$37.18 CA$53.0

115.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$17.33 CA$24.71

105.54%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$10.19 CA$14.52

70.07%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$597 CA$852

399.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$16.2K CA$23.1K

92.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$48.29 CA$68.8

60.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$30.75 CA$43.83

78.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$86.2 CA$123

46.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$115 CA$163

44.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$1,263 CA$1,801

90.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$1,135 CA$1,617

72.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$2,006 CA$2,859

138.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$1,869 CA$2,664

90.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$2,659 CA$3,790

179.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$2,694 CA$3,840

85.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$2,896 CA$4,128

116.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.6

48.91%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Hamilton

$1.1K 50.2% 42.2% $828

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Hamilton

$327 14.5% 39.6% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Hamilton

$240 10.6% 47.8% $220

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Hamilton

$271 12% 32.7% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Hamilton

$126 5.6% 34% $65

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Hamilton

$105 4.7% 20.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Hamilton

$58 2.6% 49.8% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,407 in Seattle, WA and $1,263 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 117% 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: $99.0 in Seattle, WA vs $61.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $541 vs $327 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

519,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Hamilton 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Seattle, WA
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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

Seattle, WA vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 117% higher in Seattle, WA, 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: $2,407 in Seattle, WA versus $1,263 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,986 in Seattle, WA versus $597 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,237 in Hamilton versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. 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 Seattle, WA, 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 67% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.