Cost of living comparison
compared to
Hamilton vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Hamilton is 8.3% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.2% more in Hamilton
- Groceries
-
pay 12.1% less in Hamilton
- Transportation
-
pay 17.7% more in Hamilton
- Housing
-
pay 28.4% less in Hamilton
- Childcare
-
pay 46.5% more in Hamilton
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.4% more in Hamilton
- Clothing
-
pay 7.0% more in Hamilton
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, clothing, and restaurants in Hamilton are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including housing and groceries are lower in Hamilton.
Hamilton vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Hamilton instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 5.2% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Hamilton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.87
|
$12.40
NZ$21.47
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.22
|
$8.65
NZ$14.98
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.77
|
$2.17
NZ$3.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$2.56
NZ$4.43
|
|
Ottawa vs. Hamilton - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.1% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Hamilton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.77
|
$1.27
NZ$2.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.09
|
$2.76
NZ$4.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.97
|
$5.42
NZ$9.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.86
|
$5.58
NZ$9.66
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.94
|
$3.40
NZ$5.89
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.64
|
$1.22
NZ$2.10
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$1.04
NZ$1.81
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.21
NZ$2.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$2.88
NZ$4.98
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.53
|
$0.71
NZ$1.22
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
$0.65
NZ$1.13
|
|
Ottawa vs. Hamilton - Cost of groceries
pay 17.7% more for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Hamilton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.60
|
$6.11
NZ$10.57
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$134.31
|
$45.15
NZ$78.16
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,803.54
|
$23,077.19
NZ$39,946.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.49
|
$26.54
NZ$45.94
|
|
Ottawa vs. Hamilton - Cost of transportation
pay 28.4% less for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Hamilton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$69.04
|
$58.65
NZ$101.53
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,008.67
|
$755.01
NZ$1,306.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,699.13
|
$651.93
NZ$1,128.49
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$164.46
|
$75.96
NZ$131.48
|
|
Ottawa vs. Hamilton - Cost of housing
pay 46.5% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Hamilton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,089.93
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,784.48
|
$23,077.19
NZ$39,946.69
|
|
Ottawa vs. Hamilton - Cost of childcare
pay 22.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Hamilton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.96
|
$6.35
NZ$10.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.18
|
$3.51
NZ$6.08
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.91
|
$26.22
NZ$45.39
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.68
|
$33.21
NZ$57.49
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.92
|
$14.13
NZ$24.47
|
|
Ottawa vs. Hamilton - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.0% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Hamilton
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$73.05
|
$59.14
NZ$102.36
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.81
|
$38.94
NZ$67.41
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.44
|
$85.39
NZ$147.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.48
|
$109.62
NZ$189.75
|
|
Ottawa vs. Hamilton - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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