Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Hamilton Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Hamilton

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,254 in Swansea versus $2,466 in Hamilton.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,266 in Swansea versus $3,546 in Hamilton.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,277 in Swansea versus $4,625 in Hamilton.

Living in Swansea costs roughly 9% less than in Hamilton, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swansea 68% above, Hamilton 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.11 £17.93

$18.65 CA$26.04

29.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 £50.8

$73.4 CA$103

-6.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 £7.70

$11.21 CA$15.66

-7.67%

Cappuccino

$4.93 £3.67

$4.11 CA$5.74

19.95%

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

$2.34 £1.74

$2.17 CA$3.02

7.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 £0.87

$1.75 CA$2.44

-33.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 £4.60

$5.92 CA$8.27

4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.69 £4.97

$6.54 CA$9.14

2.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.42

$2.24 CA$3.13

-14.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 £1.42

$2.16 CA$3.01

-11.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 £1.34

$2.88 CA$4.02

-37.50%

Eggs

$3.62 £2.69

$3.27 CA$4.57

10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 £6.07

$7.77 CA$10.85

5.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 £6.72

$11.64 CA$16.25

-22.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 £9.73

$14.42 CA$20.14

-9.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.32

$3.84 CA$5.36

-18.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 £0.93

$1.30 CA$1.82

-3.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 £1.69

$3.59 CA$5.02

-36.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 £2.56

$3.80 CA$5.31

-9.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.52

$2.64 CA$3.69

-22.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 £1.26

$2.19 CA$3.06

-22.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 £0.77

$2.24 CA$3.13

-53.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.97 CA$2.75

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.01 £16.36

$13.37 CA$18.67

64.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 £7.88

$12.85 CA$17.94

-17.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 £2.06

$2.38 CA$3.32

16.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 £2.99

$3.04 CA$4.24

32.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.96

$2.65 CA$3.70

50.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.8 £73.5

$87.0 CA$121

13.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 £3.02

$3.57 CA$4.99

13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 £1.83

$1.26 CA$1.77

95.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.83 £25.15

$23.83 CA$33.28

41.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.11 CA$1.55

74.77%

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

$38.4K £28.6K

$24.6K CA$34.4K

55.98%

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

$47.2K £35.1K

$20.3K CA$28.4K

132.50%

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

$314 £233

$153 CA$214

104.55%

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

$15.40 £11.45

$39.05 CA$54.5

-60.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.33 £34.45

$52.7 CA$73.6

-12.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.91 £26.70

$37.20 CA$52.0

-3.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.19 £12.04

$21.80 CA$30.45

-25.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 £7.52

$11.84 CA$16.54

-14.53%

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

$1,512 £1,124

$632 CA$882

139.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K £13.4K

$22.5K CA$31.4K

-19.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 £42.22

$56.7 CA$79.2

0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.33 £29.99

$33.55 CA$46.86

20.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 £91.2

$98.0 CA$137

25.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 £64.2

$118 CA$165

-26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 £840

$1,346 CA$1,880

-16.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 £666

$1,261 CA$1,761

-29.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 £1,227

$2,002 CA$2,795

-17.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 £1,046

$1,965 CA$2,744

-28.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,611 £2,684

$2,744 CA$3,832

31.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 £2,030

$2,741 CA$3,827

-0.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,023 £2,248

$2,964 CA$4,139

2.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

6.62

-7.85%

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

Last update for Swansea: June 7, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,130 in Swansea and $1,346 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swansea pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Swansea vs $73.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $342 per month, with Swansea 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

Swansea vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swansea is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Sport & Entertainment. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Swansea pays 2% 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: $1,130 in Swansea versus $1,346 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,512 in Swansea versus $632 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Hamilton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,254 in Swansea versus $2,466 in Hamilton, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Swansea but tight or insufficient in Hamilton. The gap between the two cities makes Swansea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Swansea is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hamilton, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Swansea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Hamilton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.