Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnaby: $2,678 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
182

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

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,678 in Burnaby versus $3,762 in Seattle, WA.

Burnaby $2,678
Seattle, WA $3,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,866 in Burnaby versus $5,651 in Seattle, WA.

Burnaby $3,866
Seattle, WA $5,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,054 in Burnaby versus $7,541 in Seattle, WA.

Burnaby $5,054
Seattle, WA $7,541

Living in Burnaby costs roughly 29% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 98% above, Seattle, WA 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.20 CA$29.72

$23.80 $23.80

-10.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.4 CA$121

$98.6 $98.6

-12.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 CA$13.26

$14.94 $14.94

-36.68%

Cappuccino

$4.62 CA$6.47

$6.79 $6.79

-31.96%

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

$2.39 CA$3.36

$3.23 $3.23

-26.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.49

$3.15 $3.15

-43.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.39 CA$13.17

$8.21 $8.21

14.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 CA$8.62

$7.87 $7.87

-21.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.42

$1.17 $1.17

108.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 CA$3.92

$5.29 $5.29

-47.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.87

$5.76 $5.76

-39.76%

Eggs

$3.19 CA$4.47

$4.89 $4.89

-34.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 CA$19.62

$20.25 $20.25

-30.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 CA$19.23

$17.95 $17.95

-23.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.40 CA$35.60

$23.35 $23.35

8.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.29

$5.94 $5.94

-24.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.84

$1.89 $1.89

-30.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.63 CA$6.49

$5.35 $5.35

-13.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.59

$6.57 $6.57

-28.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.96

$3.39 $3.39

-16.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.05

$2.88 $2.88

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 CA$3.85

$2.89 $2.89

-4.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 CA$3.00

$2.43 $2.43

-11.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.36 CA$20.13

$12.18 $12.18

17.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 CA$18.75

$15.24 $15.24

-12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 CA$3.01

$4.38 $4.38

-51.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.43

$5.89 $5.89

-58.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.42

$2.96 $2.96

-17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.5 CA$114

$109 $109

-25.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 CA$3.72

$2.52 $2.52

5.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.72 $1.72

-6.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.03 CA$39.30

$29.70 $29.70

-5.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.51 $1.51

-5.96%

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

$27.7K CA$38.9K

$36.2K $36.2K

-23.33%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$25.7K $25.7K

-17.71%

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

$126 CA$177

$289 $289

-56.37%

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

$44.52 CA$62.4

$69.1 $69.1

-35.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.78 CA$69.8

$84.8 $84.8

-41.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 CA$43.85

$69.4 $69.4

-54.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.71 CA$15.01

$35.05 $35.05

-69.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 CA$20.42

$17.97 $17.97

-18.92%

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

$653 CA$916

$2,819 $2,819

-76.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K CA$26.2K

$43.9K $43.9K

-57.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 CA$74.2

$91.2 $91.2

-41.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.5 CA$74.9

$55.1 $55.1

-2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$144

$127 $127

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 CA$109

$162 $162

-52.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,287

$2,579 $2,579

-36.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 CA$1,968

$1,943 $1,943

-27.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,671 CA$3,744

$5,100 $5,100

-47.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 CA$2,885

$3,541 $3,541

-41.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,937 CA$9,724

$7,357 $7,357

-5.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,225 CA$7,325

$4,921 $4,921

6.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,141 CA$4,403

$6,448 $6,448

-51.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

6.8

-30.00%

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

Last update for Burnaby: November 1, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.4%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.6% 38.3% $538

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$433 16.2%

Seattle, WA

$544 14.5% 25.6% $111

Eating Out

Burnaby

$329 12.3%

Seattle, WA

$399 10.6% 21.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$220 8.2%

Seattle, WA

$443 11.8% 101% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$129 4.8%

Seattle, WA

$196 5.2% 51.8% $67

Getting Around

Burnaby

$102 3.8%

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5% 29.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$60 2.3%

Seattle, WA

$105 2.8% 74.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Burnaby and $2,579 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $86 in Burnaby vs $99 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $433 vs $544 per month, with Burnaby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

1 h behind Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

737,015

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Burnaby Seattle, WA 190 km

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Burnaby
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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,678 in Burnaby and $3,762 in Seattle, WA, so Burnaby is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Burnaby. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Burnaby versus $2,579 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $653 in Burnaby versus $2,819 in Seattle, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,678 in Burnaby versus $3,762 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Burnaby but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Burnaby the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Burnaby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.