Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guelph and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Guelph: $2,586 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Guelph
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Guelph Living Index
184

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

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Guelph

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,586

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,586 in Guelph versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA.

Guelph $2,586
Seattle, WA $3,744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,627 in Guelph versus $5,703 in Seattle, WA.

Guelph $3,627
Seattle, WA $5,703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,669 in Guelph versus $7,661 in Seattle, WA.

Guelph $4,669
Seattle, WA $7,661

Living in Guelph costs roughly 31% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guelph 93% above, Seattle, WA 179% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 CA$30.31

$24.56 $24.56

-13.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 CA$101

$99.5 $99.5

-29.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 CA$16.03

$15.30 $15.30

-26.47%

Cappuccino

$3.40 CA$4.84

$6.62 $6.62

-48.64%

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

$1.49 CA$2.12

$3.25 $3.25

-54.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 CA$1.92

$3.11 $3.11

-56.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 CA$7.16

$7.77 $7.77

-35.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 CA$8.52

$7.93 $7.93

-24.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 CA$3.00

$1.21 $1.21

73.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 CA$4.05

$4.94 $4.94

-42.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.36

$6.17 $6.17

-39.06%

Eggs

$2.86 CA$4.08

$4.96 $4.96

-42.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 CA$14.37

$19.00 $19.00

-46.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.98

$18.69 $18.69

-17.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.75 CA$31.00

$23.14 $23.14

-6.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.19

$5.93 $5.93

-38.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.86

$1.94 $1.94

-32.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 CA$6.29

$5.19 $5.19

-14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CA$6.41

$6.55 $6.55

-31.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$3.62 $3.62

-6.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$3.16 $3.16

-25.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 CA$4.15

$2.91 $2.91

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 CA$2.15

$2.38 $2.38

-36.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 CA$15.36

$12.36 $12.36

-12.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 CA$15.74

$15.02 $15.02

-26.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 CA$4.92

$4.30 $4.30

-19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CA$4.45

$5.69 $5.69

-45.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 CA$3.18

$3.05 $3.05

-26.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 CA$93.3

$109 $109

-39.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 CA$3.41

$2.64 $2.64

-9.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$1.74 $1.74

1.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 CA$34.43

$30.02 $30.02

-19.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.46 $1.46

-22.60%

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

$28.2K CA$40.2K

$36.7K $36.7K

-23.25%

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

$20.2K CA$28.7K

$25.7K $25.7K

-21.49%

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

$123 CA$175

$299 $299

-59.07%

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

$42.86 CA$61.1

$69.7 $69.7

-38.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 CA$78.6

$90.1 $90.1

-38.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 CA$77.9

$80.0 $80.0

-31.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 CA$20.13

$35.62 $35.62

-60.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 CA$14.85

$17.33 $17.33

-39.87%

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

$812 CA$1,158

$2,986 $2,986

-72.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K CA$23.7K

$31.3K $31.3K

-46.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 CA$88.0

$77.7 $77.7

-20.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.02 CA$51.3

$54.9 $54.9

-34.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 CA$122

$126 $126

-31.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$176

$165 $165

-25.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 CA$2,072

$2,407 $2,407

-39.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 CA$1,964

$1,963 $1,963

-29.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 CA$2,876

$4,788 $4,788

-57.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 CA$2,757

$3,561 $3,561

-45.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,827 CA$6,881

$7,430 $7,430

-35.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,691 CA$6,686

$5,010 $5,010

-6.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,147 CA$4,486

$6,280 $6,280

-49.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

6.85

-27.15%

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

Last update for Guelph: October 5, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guelph

$1.4K 53.1%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6% 42.4% $585

Groceries & Markets

Guelph

$405 15.6%

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2% 33.6% $136

Eating Out

Guelph

$293 11.3%

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6% 37.2% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guelph

$221 8.5%

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1% 108% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Guelph

$138 5.3%

Seattle, WA

$191 5% 38.1% $53

Getting Around

Guelph

$86 3.3%

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5% 54.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Guelph

$76 2.9%

Seattle, WA

$115 3% 51.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,453 in Guelph and $2,407 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 100% 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: $71.0 in Guelph vs $99.0 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $541 per month, with Guelph cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Guelph

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

04:56 4:56 AM

3 h behind Guelph

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,794

737,015

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

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

USD to CAD in detail →

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

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Guelph
Seattle, WA

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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

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

Guelph is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 100% 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: $1,453 in Guelph versus $2,407 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guelph – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $99.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Guelph 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 Guelph gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.