Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wheaton, IL and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,306 a month against $2,571 in Wheaton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Wheaton, IL
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Wheaton, IL Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Wheaton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,571

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,571 in Wheaton, IL versus $2,306 in Hamilton.

Wheaton, IL $2,571
Hamilton $2,306

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,945 in Wheaton, IL versus $3,384 in Hamilton.

Wheaton, IL $3,945
Hamilton $3,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,320 in Wheaton, IL versus $4,461 in Hamilton.

Wheaton, IL $5,320
Hamilton $4,461

Living in Wheaton, IL is roughly 11% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wheaton, IL 90% above, Hamilton 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.13 $16.13

$17.71 CA$25.03

-8.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 $69.3

$66.7 CA$94.3

3.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.99 $11.99

$12.15 CA$17.18

-1.32%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$3.39 CA$4.79

64.01%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$2.15 CA$3.04

43.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.70 CA$2.40

37.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$5.02 CA$7.09

41.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$6.18 CA$8.74

32.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.94 CA$2.74

-55.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.04 CA$2.88

38.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.10 CA$4.38

-7.10%

Eggs

$3.67 $3.67

$3.34 CA$4.72

9.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 $9.92

$7.91 CA$11.18

25.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$11.17 CA$15.79

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 $14.89

$14.60 CA$20.65

1.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$4.08 CA$5.77

14.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.30 CA$1.84

22.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.87 CA$5.47

-24.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.69 CA$5.22

-42.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.65 CA$3.75

-35.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.00 CA$2.82

57.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.99 CA$2.81

-5.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.29 CA$1.83

86.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$12.49 CA$17.66

-28.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 $11.90

$14.40 CA$20.36

-17.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.65 CA$3.74

-14.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.97 CA$5.61

-31.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.52 CA$3.56

99.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 $101

$87.0 CA$123

15.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.54 CA$5.00

15.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.26 CA$1.78

-36.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.88 $43.88

$23.47 CA$33.18

86.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.17 CA$1.65

-11.97%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$26.4K CA$37.3K

-12.52%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$22.0K CA$31.1K

14.91%

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

$174 $174

$154 CA$217

12.79%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$42.63 CA$60.3

21.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$51.1 CA$72.2

34.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.62 $34.62

$37.84 CA$53.5

-8.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 CA$24.59

Cinema Ticket

$12.08 $12.08

$10.32 CA$14.59

17.05%

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

$1,698 $1,698

$610 CA$862

178.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$16.3K CA$23.0K

44.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 $57.7

$48.77 CA$68.9

18.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.98 $34.98

$31.28 CA$44.22

11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 $87.2

$86.6 CA$122

0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$119 CA$169

-14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,011 $2,011

$1,239 CA$1,752

62.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$1,157 CA$1,635

14.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,753 $2,753

$2,032 CA$2,873

35.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,583 $2,583

$1,882 CA$2,660

37.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,708 CA$3,828

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,733 CA$3,863

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,537 $5,537

$2,989 CA$4,225

85.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

4.6

45.43%

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

Last update for Wheaton, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wheaton, IL

$1.3K 51.4%

Hamilton

$1.2K 50.2% 12.4% $164

Groceries & Markets

Wheaton, IL

$337 13.1%

Hamilton

$336 14.6% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Wheaton, IL

$305 11.9%

Hamilton

$272 11.8% 11% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wheaton, IL

$294 11.4%

Hamilton

$248 10.7% 15.8% $47

Getting Around

Wheaton, IL

$129 5%

Hamilton

$107 4.6% 17% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Wheaton, IL

$127 4.9%

Hamilton

$129 5.6% 1.5% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Wheaton, IL

$59 2.3%

Hamilton

$58 2.5% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,011 in Wheaton, IL and $1,239 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wheaton, IL pays 85% 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: $69.0 in Wheaton, IL vs $67.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $336 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wheaton, IL

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

1 h ahead of Wheaton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,611

519,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Wheaton, IL Hamilton 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wheaton, IL
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

Wheaton, IL vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Wheaton, IL, 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: $2,011 in Wheaton, IL versus $1,239 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,698 in Wheaton, IL versus $610 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Wheaton, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,306 in Hamilton versus $2,571 in Wheaton, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Wheaton, IL. 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 Wheaton, IL, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Wheaton, IL and Hamilton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Wheaton, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.