Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Worcester, MA and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,253 a month against $2,930 in Worcester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Worcester, MA
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Worcester, MA Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Worcester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,930

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,930 in Worcester, MA versus $2,253 in Hamilton.

Worcester, MA $2,930
Hamilton $2,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,087 in Worcester, MA versus $3,331 in Hamilton.

Worcester, MA $4,087
Hamilton $3,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,243 in Worcester, MA versus $4,408 in Hamilton.

Worcester, MA $5,243
Hamilton $4,408

Living in Worcester, MA is roughly 30% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Worcester, MA 117% above, Hamilton 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.75 $22.75

$17.21 CA$24.33

32.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$65.7 CA$92.8

12.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.87 CA$16.77

2.61%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$3.37 CA$4.77

51.34%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$2.22 CA$3.14

7.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.69 CA$2.39

-0.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$4.99 CA$7.05

19.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$6.03 CA$8.52

14.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.89 CA$2.67

-36.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.12 CA$2.99

73.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.13 CA$4.43

62.30%

Eggs

$3.80 $3.80

$3.33 CA$4.70

14.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$7.88 CA$11.13

142.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.75 $10.75

$11.30 CA$15.98

-4.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.37 $20.37

$14.24 CA$20.13

43.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$3.81 CA$5.38

-1.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.27 CA$1.79

9.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.98 CA$5.63

-13.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.82 CA$5.40

27.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.71 CA$3.83

9.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.91 CA$2.69

74.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.95 CA$2.75

-6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.33 CA$1.88

13.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 $13.04

$12.49 CA$17.65

4.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 $12.13

$13.95 CA$19.72

-13.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.65 CA$3.74

-36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.77 CA$5.33

-10.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 CA$3.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.36 CA$4.76

45.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.28 CA$1.82

89.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.67 $35.67

$23.24 CA$32.85

53.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.21 CA$1.71

-9.92%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

25.34%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$19.6K CA$27.7K

25.47%

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

$190 $190

$152 CA$214

25.44%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$41.21 CA$58.3

36.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$50.2 CA$70.9

23.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 $28.64

$36.85 CA$52.1

-22.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.24 $30.24

$17.62 CA$24.91

71.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 $16.54

$10.23 CA$14.46

61.68%

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

$1,713 $1,713

$600 CA$848

185.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.7K $43.7K

$16.6K CA$23.4K

163.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$47.93 CA$67.8

0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.60 $34.60

$30.45 CA$43.05

13.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$83.8 CA$118

10.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$114 CA$161

29.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 $1,877

$1,251 CA$1,769

50.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 $1,656

$1,123 CA$1,588

47.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,932 $2,932

$2,042 CA$2,887

43.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,376 $2,376

$1,873 CA$2,647

26.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,867 $2,867

$2,695 CA$3,810

6.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,872 $2,872

$2,668 CA$3,771

7.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,195 $4,195

$2,860 CA$4,044

46.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

4.6

37.61%

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

Last update for Worcester, MA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Worcester, MA

$1.7K 56.5%

Hamilton

$1.1K 49.9% 32.2% $533

Groceries & Markets

Worcester, MA

$402 13.7%

Hamilton

$335 14.9% 16.7% $67

Eating Out

Worcester, MA

$340 11.6%

Hamilton

$266 11.8% 21.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Worcester, MA

$308 10.5%

Hamilton

$243 10.8% 21.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Worcester, MA

$145 5%

Hamilton

$124 5.5% 14.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Worcester, MA

$62 2.1%

Hamilton

$57 2.5% 7.2% $4.4

Getting Around

Worcester, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Hamilton

$104 4.6% 513% $87

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,877 in Worcester, MA and $1,251 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Worcester, MA pays 47% 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: $74.0 in Worcester, MA vs $66.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $335 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Worcester, MA

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

Same time as Worcester, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

206,518

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Worcester, MA Hamilton 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Worcester, MA
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

Worcester, MA vs Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Worcester, MA, 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: $1,877 in Worcester, MA versus $1,251 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Worcester, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,930 per month in Worcester, MA versus $2,253 in Hamilton – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,253 in Hamilton versus $2,930 in Worcester, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Worcester, MA. 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 Worcester, MA, 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 30% less than in Worcester, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.