Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, MA and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Seattle, WA: $3,800 a month against $4,506 in Cambridge, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cambridge, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

216

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge, MA
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Cambridge, MA Living Index
185

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

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Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,506

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,506 in Cambridge, MA versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA.

Cambridge, MA $4,506
Seattle, WA $3,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,767 in Cambridge, MA versus $5,702 in Seattle, WA.

Cambridge, MA $5,767
Seattle, WA $5,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,029 in Cambridge, MA versus $7,603 in Seattle, WA.

Cambridge, MA $7,029
Seattle, WA $7,603

Living in Cambridge, MA is roughly 19% more expensive than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge, MA 234% above, Seattle, WA 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 $19.88

$25.32 $25.32

-21.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 $99.2

$101 $101

-2.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$14.85 $14.85

-17.91%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$6.59 $6.59

-21.09%

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

$3.17 $3.17

$3.22 $3.22

-1.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$3.14 $3.14

-25.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$8.18 $8.18

-0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$8.03 $8.03

-0.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.21 $1.21

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$5.12 $5.12

-11.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.97 $6.97

$6.30 $6.30

10.63%

Eggs

$4.91 $4.91

$4.90 $4.90

0.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 $15.35

$19.10 $19.10

-19.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.50 $18.50

-18.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.19 $19.19

$23.03 $23.03

-16.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$5.81 $5.81

11.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.95 $1.95

-11.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$5.29 $5.29

11.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$6.48 $6.48

13.12%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.57 $3.57

22.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.15 $3.15

20.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.85 $2.85

5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.42 $2.42

6.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.66 $12.66

$12.75 $12.75

-0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 $15.72

$14.99 $14.99

4.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$4.17 $4.17

-53.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 $5.41

$5.99 $5.99

-9.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.04 $3.04

-17.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.0 $91.0

$110 $110

-17.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.55 $2.55

-19.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.64 $1.64

-7.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 $10.82

$29.58 $29.58

-63.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.42 $1.42

-24.65%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$35.7K $35.7K

2.76%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$25.6K $25.6K

-0.21%

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

$227 $227

$299 $299

-23.92%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$70.8 $70.8

-23.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.4 $78.4

$88.3 $88.3

-11.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 $74.3

$79.5 $79.5

-6.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.56 $30.56

$35.37 $35.37

-13.60%

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 $14.78

$17.12 $17.12

-13.67%

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

$2,847 $2,847

$3,013 $3,013

-5.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K $35.9K

$31.6K $31.6K

13.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 $76.4

$77.2 $77.2

-1.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 $51.3

$55.1 $55.1

-6.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$126 $126

-17.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$163 $163

-15.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,392 $3,392

$2,464 $2,464

37.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,926 $2,926

$1,956 $1,956

49.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,218 $5,218

$4,711 $4,711

10.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,459 $3,459

$3,550 $3,550

-2.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,990 $4,990

$7,346 $7,346

-32.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,067 $5,067

$5,048 $5,048

0.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,239 $6,239

$6,286 $6,286

-0.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

6.85

-5.11%

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

Last update for Cambridge, MA: 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, MA

$2.9K 64.9%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5% 33.2% $970

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge, MA

$502 11.2%

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3% 7.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge, MA

$360 8%

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1% 27.1% $98

Eating Out

Cambridge, MA

$337 7.5%

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8% 21.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge, MA

$166 3.7%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 14.3% $24

Getting Around

Cambridge, MA

$111 2.5%

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5% 20.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge, MA

$104 2.3%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 9.5% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,392 in Cambridge, MA and $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $99.0 in Cambridge, MA vs $101 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $502 vs $542 per month, with Cambridge, MA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

3 h behind Cambridge, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,162

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

Cambridge, MA Seattle, WA 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge, MA
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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

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

Cambridge, MA and Seattle, WA differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($4,506 vs $3,800 including rent). Seattle, WA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% 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: $3,392 in Cambridge, MA versus $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cambridge, MA pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Seattle, WA – a meal for two runs $101 versus $99.0 in Cambridge, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Seattle, WA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Seattle, WA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,800 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Seattle, WA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cambridge, MA and Seattle, WA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Seattle, WA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Cambridge, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.