Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, NC and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacksonville, NC: $2,554 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC Living Index
184

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

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Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA.

Jacksonville, NC $2,554
Seattle, WA $3,785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,595 in Jacksonville, NC versus $5,688 in Seattle, WA.

Jacksonville, NC $3,595
Seattle, WA $5,688

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,637 in Jacksonville, NC versus $7,592 in Seattle, WA.

Jacksonville, NC $4,637
Seattle, WA $7,592

Living in Jacksonville, NC costs roughly 33% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jacksonville, NC 88% above, Seattle, WA 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.57 $15.57

$25.30 $25.30

-38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 $58.9

$101 $101

-41.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 $9.89

$14.76 $14.76

-32.99%

Cappuccino

$4.81 $4.81

$6.50 $6.50

-26.00%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$3.21 $3.21

-20.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.14 $3.14

-37.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.94 $4.94

$7.97 $7.97

-38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$8.13 $8.13

-13.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 $4.21

$5.30 $5.30

-20.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$6.40 $6.40

73.13%

Eggs

$6.04 $6.04

$5.06 $5.06

19.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 $19.50

$18.71 $18.71

4.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$18.72 $18.72

-8.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.53 $24.53

$22.88 $22.88

7.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$6.06 $6.06

-3.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.95 $1.95

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.23 $8.23

$5.51 $5.51

49.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$6.52 $6.52

-5.37%

Potato (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.49 $3.49

97.13%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$3.29 $3.29

21.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.80 $2.80

-1.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.58 $2.58

-20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.96 $8.96

$12.49 $12.49

-28.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$14.87 $14.87

1.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$4.19 $4.19

-58.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$5.80 $5.80

-31.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.05 $3.05

-49.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 $90.4

$106 $106

-14.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.58 $2.58

-1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.12 $30.12

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.41 $1.41

-35.46%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$36.8K $36.8K

-25.61%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.6K $26.6K

-3.34%

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

$174 $174

$308 $308

-43.44%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$69.2 $69.2

9.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$86.1 $86.1

-17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.20 $31.20

$76.5 $76.5

-59.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.71 $1.71

$35.50 $35.50

-95.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.59 $15.59

$18.02 $18.02

-13.49%

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

$796 $796

$2,746 $2,746

-71.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 $60.9

$79.2 $79.2

-23.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 $39.56

$54.3 $54.3

-27.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$127 $127

-18.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$159 $159

-12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 $1,384

$2,508 $2,508

-44.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 $1,094

$1,938 $1,938

-43.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 $1,809

$5,117 $5,117

-64.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$3,542 $3,542

-59.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,049 $2,049

$7,374 $7,374

-72.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 $1,833

$5,002 $5,002

-63.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,208 $2,208

$6,470 $6,470

-65.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

6.89

-7.55%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: October 25, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 42.8%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2% 77.2% $845

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, NC

$555 21.7%

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5% 1.5% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, NC

$321 12.6%

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2% 44.1% $142

Eating Out

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.5%

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7% 51.1% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 22.7% $35

Getting Around

Jacksonville, NC

$99 * 3.9%

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4% 30.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.4%

Seattle, WA

$112 3% 80.4% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC and $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Jacksonville, NC vs $101 in Seattle, WA. Groceries flip the comparison at $555 vs $547, with Seattle, WA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

16:03 4:03 PM

3 h behind Jacksonville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Jacksonville, NC Seattle, WA 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, NC
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC and $3,785 in Seattle, WA, so Jacksonville, NC is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Jacksonville, NC. 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: $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $796 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,746 in Seattle, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jacksonville, NC – a meal for two runs $59 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Jacksonville, NC but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Jacksonville, NC 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.

It comes down to priorities – Jacksonville, NC wins on affordability, Seattle, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.