Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $2,398 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
Learn more

Cambridge Living Index
185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index

Jump to prices

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,398

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Cambridge versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA.

Cambridge $2,398
Seattle, WA $3,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,402 in Cambridge versus $5,702 in Seattle, WA.

Cambridge $3,402
Seattle, WA $5,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,406 in Cambridge versus $7,603 in Seattle, WA.

Cambridge $4,406
Seattle, WA $7,603

Living in Cambridge costs roughly 37% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 78% above, Seattle, WA 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.45

$25.32 $25.32

-31.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 CA$78.9

$101 $101

-45.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 CA$14.07

$14.85 $14.85

-32.93%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$6.59 $6.59

-46.74%

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

$1.98 CA$2.79

$3.22 $3.22

-38.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$3.14 $3.14

-57.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 CA$7.22

$8.18 $8.18

-37.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$8.03 $8.03

-22.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$1.21 $1.21

70.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$5.12 $5.12

-53.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 CA$4.36

$6.30 $6.30

-50.95%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.53

$4.90 $4.90

-34.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 CA$15.33

$19.10 $19.10

-43.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.02

$18.50 $18.50

-38.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 CA$20.22

$23.03 $23.03

-37.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$5.81 $5.81

-32.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.95 $1.95

-39.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.66

$5.29 $5.29

-24.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 CA$5.20

$6.48 $6.48

-43.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$3.57 $3.57

-26.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 CA$2.79

$3.15 $3.15

-37.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.85 $2.85

-28.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$2.42 $2.42

-41.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.82 CA$18.13

$12.75 $12.75

0.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 CA$17.25

$14.99 $14.99

-18.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$4.17 $4.17

-38.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 CA$5.44

$5.99 $5.99

-35.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$3.04 $3.04

-19.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 CA$90.3

$110 $110

-41.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$2.55 $2.55

-5.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.64 $1.64

8.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.60 CA$31.95

$29.58 $29.58

-23.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.42 $1.42

-18.31%

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

$25.8K CA$36.5K

$35.7K $35.7K

-27.71%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$25.6K $25.6K

-27.52%

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

$149 CA$211

$299 $299

-50.18%

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

$42.05 CA$59.5

$70.8 $70.8

-40.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.52 CA$70.0

$88.3 $88.3

-43.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.59 CA$40.42

$79.5 $79.5

-64.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$10.28 CA$14.53

$17.12 $17.12

-39.95%

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

$528 CA$746

$3,013 $3,013

-82.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.8K

$31.6K $31.6K

-48.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$76.7

$77.2 $77.2

-29.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 CA$42.16

$55.1 $55.1

-45.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 CA$105

$126 $126

-40.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$163 $163

-36.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 CA$1,845

$2,464 $2,464

-47.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 CA$1,837

$1,956 $1,956

-33.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 CA$3,547

$4,711 $4,711

-46.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 CA$2,812

$3,550 $3,550

-43.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,236 CA$5,989

$7,346 $7,346

-42.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,850 CA$5,443

$5,048 $5,048

-23.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,938 CA$4,153

$6,286 $6,286

-53.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

6.85

-25.69%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.2%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5% 50.5% $657

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$345 14.4%

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3% 57.1% $197

Eating Out

Cambridge

$262 10.9%

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8% 56.2% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$241 10%

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1% 90.5% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$118 4.9%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 60.8% $72

Getting Around

Cambridge

$85 3.5%

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5% 56.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$49 2.1%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 131% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,305 in Cambridge and $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 114% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $56.0 in Cambridge vs $101 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $542 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

3 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cambridge Seattle, WA 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

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

Cambridge is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 114% lower in Seattle, WA. 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: $1,305 in Cambridge versus $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cambridge – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,398 in Cambridge versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cambridge but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Cambridge the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cambridge is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seattle, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cambridge gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.