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Living in Hamilton

Hamilton is a city in Canada. The city covered 1,117.2 km² in 2021. Population density was 509.1 people per km² in 2021. The unemployment rate was 12.3% in May 2021. For Hamilton, monthly precipitation was 72.9 mm in January and 97.5 mm in July.

Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Hamilton?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in CanadaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Hamilton.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

23.2% of renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing in May 2021.

No city-level rent figure is published for Hamilton. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Hamilton recurring monthly costs, € per month€793Private kindergarten€147Utilities, 85 m² flat€77Transport pass€58Internet, 60 Mbps€39Fitness club€35Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly38.75 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v213Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited58 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v213Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly793.3 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v213Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant13.3 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v213Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB34.83 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Cost of Living in Hamilton. Jun 2026. Prices in Hamilton12Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass77 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v213Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home146.5 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v213Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Households spending over 30% of income on rent23.2 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population11Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Hamilton?

The unemployment rate is 12.3 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population11

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Hamilton is 12.3%. Of 485 cities with data, 119 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Canada per band1 city: 0% to under 2%10–210 cities: 2% to under 4%102–497 cities: 4% to under 6%974–6119 cities: 6% to under 8%1196–8103 cities: 8% to under 10%1038–1075 cities: 10% to under 12%7510–1251 cities: 12% to under 14%5112–14Hamilton 12.3%18 cities: 14% to under 16%1814–168 cities: 16% to under 18%816–181 city: 18% to under 20%118–202 cities: 20% to under 22%220–22

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate12.3 %country median 8.3%11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population11Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Hamilton. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service

Government of Canada

Job SearchMigrant Support
Open official service
Open the Canada service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Hamilton. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Hamilton?

Police recorded 4,257 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

  • Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 4,257 offences per 100,000 · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 202414
Recorded crime across major citiesHamilton highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Hamilton highlighted8,922Kelowna7,953Saskatoon7,894Winnipeg7,503Regina7,108Edmonton6,867Thunder Bay6,484St. John's5,404Brantford4,743London4,142Guelph3,920Barrie3,366Saguenayrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents4,257 offences per 100,000country median 7,10831 Dec 2024Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 202414Independent

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
G09 Bicycle Commute Share Pct0.7 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population11Official
G09 Transit Commute Share Pct7.4 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population11Official
G09 Walk Commute Share Pct4.6 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population11Official
Destinations from nearest airport4 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat5Official
Nearest airportYHM13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv6Official
Distance to nearest airport10.4 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv6Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Hamilton. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For newcomers to Canada.

English, Frenchfree
Open official information
Open the full Canada section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Hamilton.

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were −5.3°C in January and 20.9°C in July. Annual PM2.5 was 3.99 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Hamilton?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 3.99 µg/m³ · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.3
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Hamilton average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C-10°0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND27°-9°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Hamilton average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100735369818178986774847867JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Hamilton annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5254.0PM2.5154013.5PM1010408.6NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaAnnual PM2.5 in Hamilton is 4.0 µg/m³. Of 92 cities with data, 33 have annual PM2.5 of 3 to under 4 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Canada per band2 cities: 1 µg/m³ to under 2 µg/m³21–216 cities: 2 µg/m³ to under 3 µg/m³162–333 cities: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³333–4Hamilton 4.013 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³134–512 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³125–61 city: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³16–71 city: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³17–81 city: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³18–92 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³29–102 cities: 10 µg/m³ to under 11 µg/m³210–111 city: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³113–142 cities: 15 µg/m³ to under 16 µg/m³215–163 cities: 16 µg/m³ to under 17 µg/m³316–171 city: 17 µg/m³ to under 18 µg/m³117–181 city: 20 µg/m³ to under 21 µg/m³120–211 city: 40 µg/m³ to under 41 µg/m³140–41

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean8.65 µg/m³country median 6.92024Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.4Official
PM10 — annual mean13.5 µg/m³country median 10.52024Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.2Official
PM2.5 — annual mean3.99 µg/m³country median 3.72024Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.3Official
Average daytime high by monthJan -1.4 · Feb -0.9 · Mar 4.7 · Apr 11.8 · May 18.9 · Jun 24.2 · Jul 26.6 · Aug 25.6 · Sep 21.7 · Oct 14.5 · Nov 7.7 · Dec 1.5 °C31 Dec 2020Canadian Climate Normals — HAMILTON A, 1991-20201Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -9.1 · Feb -9.2 · Mar -4.4 · Apr 1.3 · May 7.3 · Jun 12.8 · Jul 15.2 · Aug 14.5 · Sep 10.5 · Oct 4.8 · Nov -0.2 · Dec -5.4 °C31 Dec 2020Canadian Climate Normals — HAMILTON A, 1991-20201Official
Average temperature by monthJan -5.3 · Feb -5 · Mar 0.2 · Apr 6.5 · May 13.1 · Jun 18.5 · Jul 20.9 · Aug 20.1 · Sep 16.1 · Oct 9.7 · Nov 3.8 · Dec -1.9 °C31 Dec 2020Canadian Climate Normals — HAMILTON A, 1991-20201Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 72.9 · Feb 53.4 · Mar 68.7 · Apr 81.3 · May 81 · Jun 77.6 · Jul 97.5 · Aug 66.8 · Sep 73.5 · Oct 84.2 · Nov 78.1 · Dec 67.3 mm31 Dec 2020Canadian Climate Normals — HAMILTON A, 1991-20201Official

Cities of a similar size in Canada

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Canada cities
Québec557,390 residentsBrampton656,480 residentsMississauga717,961 residentsWinnipeg749,607 residentsLondon422,324 residentsEdmonton1,010,899 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Hamilton?

The published population was 597,010 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada7

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Hamilton residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport92.4%Foreign residents 7.6%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area1,117 km²2021Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Hamilton, CSD 3525008)9Official
Foreign-resident share8.93 %31 Dec 2021Statistics Canada8Official
Foreign residents45,335 people11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status.10Official
Population density509.1 people/km²11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation.10Official
Population597,010 people1 Jul 2022Statistics Canada7Official
Foreign residents45,335 people11 May 2021Official source · Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status.
Population597,010 people1 Jul 2022Official source · Statistics Canada
Households spending over 30% of income on rent23.2 %11 May 2021Official source · Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population
Unemployment rate12.3 %11 May 2021Official source · Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population
NO₂ — annual mean8.65 µg/m³2024Official source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.
PM10 — annual mean13.5 µg/m³2024Official source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-03

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad29 %11 May 2021Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population11Official

This city record is still being completed

The URL stays available with its sourced facts, but it is not included in search discovery yet. The page needs a broader set of current decision facts and a useful internal comparison before ImmigrationDB presents it as a complete city guide.

Verified metrics
22
Decision domains
5
Current facts
22

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Hamilton when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Hamilton?

The published population was 597,010 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Hamilton?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate..

How safe is Hamilton?

Police recorded 4,257 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024.

What is the unemployment rate in Hamilton?

The unemployment rate is 12.3 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population.

How many foreign residents live in Hamilton?

45,335 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status..

How much is public transport in Hamilton?

A monthly transport pass is 77 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2.

Is Hamilton a good place to live?

ImmigrationDB does not yet have enough current, multi-domain evidence and internal comparison context to answer that reliably. This stable data record remains available while the missing evidence is collected.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 14). Hamilton, Canada: rent, cost of living, jobs, safety, taxes [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/hamilton/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_hamilton-canada-rent-cost-of-living-jobs-safety-taxes_589bde373855,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Hamilton, Canada: rent, cost of living, jobs, safety, taxes},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  snapshot = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/hamilton/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Hamilton, Canada: rent, cost of living, jobs, safety, taxes](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/hamilton/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. Canadian Climate Normals — HAMILTON A, 1991-2020 Canadian Climate Normals · climate.weather.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
  2. Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
  3. Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
  4. Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
  5. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  6. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  7. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
  9. Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Hamilton, CSD 3525008) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
  10. Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status. api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2021-05-11
Show 4 more sources
  1. Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
  2. Cost of Living in Hamilton. Jun 2026. Prices in Hamilton numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27
  3. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
  4. Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024 Statistics Canada · www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.