Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington: $2,634 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index
185

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

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Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burlington 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 and in Seattle, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,634 per month in Burlington vs $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Burlington $2,634
Seattle, WA $3,800

A couple spends around $3,790 per month in Burlington vs $5,702 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Burlington $3,790
Seattle, WA $5,702

A family of three spends $4,946 per month in Burlington vs $7,603 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Burlington $4,946
Seattle, WA $7,603

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

Both Burlington and Seattle, WA sit above the global median – Burlington by 95%, Seattle, WA by 182%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.10 CA$29.82

$25.32 $25.32

-16.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 CA$101

$101 $101

-29.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 CA$15.13

$14.85 $14.85

-27.95%

Cappuccino

$3.40 CA$4.81

$6.59 $6.59

-48.41%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$3.22 $3.22

-38.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$3.14 $3.14

-51.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 CA$7.81

$8.18 $8.18

-32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 CA$8.71

$8.03 $8.03

-23.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.21 $1.21

117.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$5.12 $5.12

-45.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.24

$6.30 $6.30

-41.11%

Eggs

$3.51 CA$4.97

$4.90 $4.90

-28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.05

$19.10 $19.10

-47.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$18.50 $18.50

-43.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 CA$20.10

$23.03 $23.03

-38.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CA$5.03

$5.81 $5.81

-38.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 CA$2.13

$1.95 $1.95

-22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.84

$5.29 $5.29

-48.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$6.48 $6.48

-45.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 CA$2.71

$3.57 $3.57

-46.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 CA$2.61

$3.15 $3.15

-41.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 CA$2.89

$2.85 $2.85

-28.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$2.42 $2.42

-39.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 CA$18.44

$12.75 $12.75

2.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.94

$14.99 $14.99

-29.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$4.17 $4.17

-37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 CA$4.02

$5.99 $5.99

-52.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$3.04 $3.04

-16.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 CA$138

$110 $110

-11.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 CA$7.01

$2.55 $2.55

94.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.64 $1.64

45.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 CA$59.7

$29.58 $29.58

42.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.42 $1.42

-19.01%

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

$27.2K CA$38.5K

$35.7K $35.7K

-23.84%

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

$20.2K CA$28.5K

$25.6K $25.6K

-21.11%

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

$143 CA$202

$299 $299

-52.29%

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

$44.20 CA$62.5

$70.8 $70.8

-37.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 CA$94.3

$88.3 $88.3

-24.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 CA$72.5

$79.5 $79.5

-35.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 CA$41.65

$35.37 $35.37

-16.71%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 CA$22.51

$17.12 $17.12

-6.95%

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

$1,151 CA$1,628

$3,013 $3,013

-61.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K CA$27.1K

$31.6K $31.6K

-39.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 CA$96.1

$77.2 $77.2

-11.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.8 CA$90.1

$55.1 $55.1

15.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 CA$137

$126 $126

-22.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 CA$137

$163 $163

-40.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 CA$2,286

$2,464 $2,464

-34.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 CA$1,969

$1,956 $1,956

-28.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,558 CA$3,616

$4,711 $4,711

-45.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 CA$3,019

$3,550 $3,550

-39.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 CA$7,087

$7,346 $7,346

-31.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,029 CA$5,696

$5,048 $5,048

-20.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,161 CA$4,468

$6,286 $6,286

-49.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.52

6.85

-34.01%

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

Last update for Burlington: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington

$1.4K 52.9%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5% 40.4% $563

Groceries & Markets

Burlington

$338 12.8%

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3% 60.2% $203

Eating Out

Burlington

$296 11.2%

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8% 38.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington

$254 9.6%

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1% 80.7% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington

$147 5.6%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 29.1% $43

Getting Around

Burlington

$124 4.7%

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5% 6.9% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington

$83 3.2%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 36.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,617 in Burlington versus $2,464 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.

Salaries run about 99% higher in Seattle, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Burlington versus $101 in Seattle, WA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $542 – making Burlington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burlington

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

3 h behind Burlington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,314

737,015

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Burlington Seattle, WA 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,952 per month in Burlington and $5,701 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, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,151 per month in Burlington and $3,013 in Seattle, WA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Seattle, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,634 in Burlington and $3,800 in Seattle, WA. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Burlington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Burlington. 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.