Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Hamilton, Canada

For one person, living is cheaper in Swansea: $2,196 a month against $2,379 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Swansea, United Kingdom
Hamilton, Canada
Swansea
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,196
/mo nomad
Hamilton
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,379
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,196 in Swansea versus $2,379 in Hamilton.

  • Swansea $2,196
  • Hamilton $2,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Swansea versus $3,409 in Hamilton.

  • Swansea $3,130
  • Hamilton $3,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,065 in Swansea versus $4,440 in Hamilton.

  • Swansea $4,065
  • Hamilton $4,440

Living in Swansea costs roughly 8% less than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swansea 61% above, Hamilton 75% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.41 £15.24
$17.79 CA$24.86
14.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.1 £47.08
$68.9 CA$96.2
-8.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 £7.82
$12.21 CA$17.05
-14.25%
Cappuccino
$4.76 £3.56
$3.48 CA$4.87
36.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 £1.76
$2.18 CA$3.05
8.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 £0.94
$1.66 CA$2.32
-24.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.89 £4.40
$5.06 CA$7.07
16.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.38 £4.77
$6.21 CA$8.67
2.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 £1.00
$1.99 CA$2.77
-32.66%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 £1.53
$2.04 CA$2.85
0.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 £1.54
$3.15 CA$4.41
-34.60%
Eggs
$3.52 £2.62
$3.39 CA$4.73
3.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.78 £5.81
$7.90 CA$11.04
-1.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.33 £6.22
$11.46 CA$16.01
-27.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.87 £9.61
$14.97 CA$20.91
-14.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 £1.73
$4.06 CA$5.67
-42.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.24 £0.93
$1.31 CA$1.84
-5.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 £2.14
$4.04 CA$5.64
-28.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.57 £2.67
$3.76 CA$5.26
-5.05%
Potato (1kg)
$2.25 £1.68
$2.66 CA$3.71
-15.41%
Onion (1kg)
$3.05 £2.28
$1.93 CA$2.70
58.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 £0.95
$1.97 CA$2.76
-35.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 £1.71
$1.34 CA$1.87
70.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.23 £17.34
$12.64 CA$17.66
83.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.63 £7.93
$14.09 CA$19.68
-24.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 £1.74
$2.66 CA$3.71
-12.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 £2.54
$4.04 CA$5.64
-15.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.12 £3.08
$2.64 CA$3.69
56.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.1 £72.5
$91.2 CA$127
6.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 £2.95
$3.57 CA$4.99
10.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.68 £2.00
$1.24 CA$1.74
116.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.33 £24.88
$23.74 CA$33.17
40.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.95 £1.46
$1.21 CA$1.70
61.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K £29.1K
$26.1K CA$36.4K
49.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.2K
$22.4K CA$31.3K
80.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$306 £229
$157 CA$219
95.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.81 £11.06
$41.99 CA$58.7
-64.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.20 £32.26
$50.6 CA$70.7
-14.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.28 £24.85
$34.23 CA$47.83
-2.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.52 £11.59
$17.97 CA$25.10
-13.63%
Cinema Ticket
$9.85 £7.36
$10.44 CA$14.59
-5.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,777 £1,327
$490 CA$684
262.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$16.8K CA$23.4K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.7 £66.9
$49.37 CA$69.0
81.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.22 £36.01
$31.10 CA$43.45
55.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 £91.3
$87.9 CA$123
39.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.6 £61.6
$118 CA$164
-29.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,112 £830
$1,288 CA$1,800
-13.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$891 £665
$1,220 CA$1,704
-26.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,500 £1,120
$2,066 CA$2,887
-27.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 £999
$1,830 CA$2,557
-26.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,563 £2,660
$3,105 CA$4,339
14.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,615 £1,952
$2,705 CA$3,779
-3.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Swansea
Hamilton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,263 £2,436
$3,039 CA$4,246
7.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.04
4.6
31.30%

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

Last update for Swansea: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Swansea
$891
Hamilton
$1.2K 36.9% $329
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swansea
$364
Hamilton
$249 31.6% $115
Eating Out
Swansea
$309
Hamilton
$274 11.3% $35
Groceries & Markets
Swansea
$293
Hamilton
$341 16.2% $47
Clothing & Footwear
Swansea
$154
Hamilton
$129 16.5% $26
Getting Around
Swansea
$131
Hamilton
$112 14.8% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Swansea
$53
Hamilton
$55 4% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,112 in Swansea and $1,288 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swansea pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63 in Swansea vs $69 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $341 per month, with Swansea cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Swansea
🇨🇦 Hamilton
🕒 Local time
13:24 1:24 PM
08:24 8:24 AM
5 h behind Swansea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
239,000
519,949
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Swansea Hamilton 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Swansea
  • Hamilton

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
Swansea vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Swansea cheaper than Hamilton?
Swansea is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Swansea or Hamilton?
Average pay runs 7% higher in Swansea, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Swansea and Hamilton?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,112 in Swansea versus $1,288 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,777 in Swansea versus $490 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Swansea and in Hamilton?
Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Hamilton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $2,000 enough to cover costs in Swansea or in Hamilton?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Swansea is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Swansea or in Hamilton?
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.

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