Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, NC: $2,604 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index
184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index

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Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burlington, NC and in Seattle, WA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Burlington, NC and in Seattle, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Burlington, NC vs $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,604
Seattle, WA $3,782

A couple spends around $3,784 per month in Burlington, NC vs $5,636 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,784
Seattle, WA $5,636

A family of three spends $4,963 per month in Burlington, NC vs $7,489 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Burlington, NC $4,963
Seattle, WA $7,489

Burlington, NC is about 31% cheaper than Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Burlington, NC and Seattle, WA sit above the global median – Burlington, NC by 92%, Seattle, WA by 179%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.93 $18.93

$24.52 $24.52

-22.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$98.2 $98.2

-23.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$14.79 $14.79

-26.37%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$6.52 $6.52

-19.79%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$3.23 $3.23

-22.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.17 $3.17

-35.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$7.85 $7.85

-21.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$8.03 $8.03

-15.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.21 $1.21

-14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$5.14 $5.14

-30.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$6.05 $6.05

-28.10%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$4.88 $4.88

-13.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$19.18 $19.18

-34.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$18.91 $18.91

-40.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 $15.63

$23.31 $23.31

-32.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$5.99 $5.99

-16.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.93 $1.93

-19.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$5.25 $5.25

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$6.57 $6.57

-26.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.62 $3.62

-19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.31 $3.31

-16.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.78 $2.78

-24.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.51 $2.51

-17.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$12.18 $12.18

-23.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 $14.08

$14.83 $14.83

-5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$4.22 $4.22

-56.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$5.77 $5.77

-42.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.95 $2.95

-31.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.65 $2.65

28.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.72 $1.72

-4.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 $28.99

$29.72 $29.72

-2.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.49 $1.49

-40.27%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$35.9K $35.9K

-16.79%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

-3.02%

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

$191 $191

$302 $302

-36.85%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$70.1 $70.1

-24.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$85.3 $85.3

-21.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 $42.35

$77.8 $77.8

-45.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 $13.34

$17.84 $17.84

-25.22%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$2,973 $2,973

-56.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$31.3K $31.3K

-24.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$76.6 $76.6

-33.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$54.1 $54.1

-26.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$128 $128

-33.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$164 $164

-31.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$2,445 $2,445

-33.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 $1,378

$1,947 $1,947

-29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 $2,653

$4,744 $4,744

-44.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$3,469 $3,469

-35.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 $2,740

$7,367 $7,367

-62.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$5,127 $5,127

-52.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.89

-5.52%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: October 17, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5% 41.3% $569

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9%

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4% 40.6% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9%

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1% 47.3% $147

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9%

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6% 29.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$130 5%

Seattle, WA

$190 5% 46.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 64.4% $44

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4% 554% $110

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Burlington, NC versus $2,445 in Seattle, WA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Burlington, NC versus $98.0 in Seattle, WA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $546 – making Burlington, NC the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

3 h behind Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Burlington, NC Seattle, WA 3,720 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, NC
Seattle, WA

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

Burlington, NC vs Seattle, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,604 in Burlington, NC, $3,782 in Seattle, WA – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in Burlington, NC and $5,673 in Seattle, WA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burlington, NC, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $3,782 in Seattle, WA. That's a gap of about 45%.

Kindergarten costs $1,282 per month in Burlington, NC and $2,973 in Seattle, WA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $3,782 in Seattle, WA. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Seattle, WA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,604 in Burlington, NC to $3,782 in Seattle, WA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Burlington, NC. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.