Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
184

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

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Cancun vs $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Cancun $1,428
Seattle, WA $3,744

A couple spends around $2,290 per month in Cancun vs $5,703 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Cancun $2,290
Seattle, WA $5,703

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Cancun vs $7,661 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

Cancun $3,152
Seattle, WA $7,661

Cancun is about 62% cheaper than Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cancun and Seattle, WA sit above the global median – Cancun by 7%, Seattle, WA by 179%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MX$203

$24.56 $24.56

-54.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MX$993

$99.5 $99.5

-45.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 MX$206

$15.30 $15.30

-26.14%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$70.3

$6.62 $6.62

-41.69%

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

$1.38 MX$25.03

$3.25 $3.25

-57.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.62

$3.11 $3.11

-74.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.0

$7.77 $7.77

-60.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.1

$7.93 $7.93

-45.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$29.66

$1.21 $1.21

34.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$49.35

$4.94 $4.94

-45.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$29.99

$6.17 $6.17

-73.26%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$49.55

$4.96 $4.96

-45.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$181

$19.00 $19.00

-47.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 MX$160

$18.69 $18.69

-52.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 MX$252

$23.14 $23.14

-40.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$51.5

$5.93 $5.93

-52.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.38

$1.94 $1.94

-13.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MX$58.2

$5.19 $5.19

-38.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.37

$6.55 $6.55

-67.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$36.93

$3.62 $3.62

-43.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.63

$3.16 $3.16

-39.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.92

$2.91 $2.91

-60.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.26

$2.38 $2.38

-48.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.0

$12.36 $12.36

-63.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$182

$15.02 $15.02

-33.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.34

$4.30 $4.30

-63.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MX$49.67

$5.69 $5.69

-52.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.71

$3.05 $3.05

-79.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.64 MX$521

$109 $109

-73.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MX$81.8

$2.64 $2.64

70.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$54.2

$1.74 $1.74

71.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.62 MX$248

$30.02 $30.02

-54.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.58

$1.46 $1.46

4.11%

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

$21.0K MX$382.2K

$36.7K $36.7K

-42.81%

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

$24.5K MX$445.5K

$25.7K $25.7K

-4.63%

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

$172 MX$3,137

$299 $299

-42.41%

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

$23.50 MX$427

$69.7 $69.7

-66.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.97 MX$691

$90.1 $90.1

-57.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$611

$80.0 $80.0

-58.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 MX$246

$35.62 $35.62

-62.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 MX$133

$17.33 $17.33

-57.70%

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

$205 MX$3,725

$2,986 $2,986

-93.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,468 MX$99.5K

$31.3K $31.3K

-82.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$998

$77.7 $77.7

-29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MX$996

$54.9 $54.9

-0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 MX$1,399

$126 $126

-38.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 MX$1,716

$165 $165

-42.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MX$12.2K

$2,407 $2,407

-72.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MX$8,440

$1,963 $1,963

-76.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.0K

$4,788 $4,788

-71.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$19.6K

$3,561 $3,561

-69.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 MX$23.3K

$7,430 $7,430

-82.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 MX$36.1K

$5,010 $5,010

-60.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$819 MX$14.9K

$6,280 $6,280

-86.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.85

67.15%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$464 32.9%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6% 323% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.3%

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2% 88.7% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$234 16.6%

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1% 96.3% $225

Eating Out

Cancun

$202 14.3%

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6% 98.7% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$126 9%

Seattle, WA

$191 5% 50.8% $64

Getting Around

Cancun

$51 3.6%

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5% 161% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$48 3.4%

Seattle, WA

$115 3% 138% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Cancun versus $2,407 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 667% 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 $55.0 in Cancun versus $99.0 in Seattle, WA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $541 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

2 h behind Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

737,015

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Cancun Seattle, WA 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,428 in Cancun, $3,744 in Seattle, WA – roughly 162% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,141 per month in Cancun and $5,616 in Seattle, WA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Cancun and $2,986 in Seattle, WA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 89% 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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in Seattle, WA at $3,744. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Seattle, WA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,428 in Cancun to $3,744 in Seattle, WA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cancun. 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.