Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kearney, NE and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Kearney, NE: $2,077 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Kearney, NE
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Kearney, NE Living Index
184

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

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Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,077

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,077 in Kearney, NE versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA.

Kearney, NE $2,077
Seattle, WA $3,785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,910 in Kearney, NE versus $5,688 in Seattle, WA.

Kearney, NE $2,910
Seattle, WA $5,688

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,744 in Kearney, NE versus $7,592 in Seattle, WA.

Kearney, NE $3,744
Seattle, WA $7,592

Living in Kearney, NE costs roughly 45% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kearney, NE 53% above, Seattle, WA 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.11 $15.11

$25.30 $25.30

-40.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$101 $101

-40.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 $11.66

$14.76 $14.76

-21.00%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$6.50 $6.50

-20.15%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$3.21 $3.21

-31.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.14 $3.14

-41.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 $4.08

$7.97 $7.97

-48.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 $5.08

$8.13 $8.13

-37.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.17 $1.17

-29.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 $1.61

$5.30 $5.30

-69.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$6.40 $6.40

-43.13%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$5.06 $5.06

-29.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$18.71 $18.71

-51.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$18.72 $18.72

-65.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$22.88 $22.88

-33.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$6.06 $6.06

-7.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.95 $1.95

5.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$5.51 $5.51

-10.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$6.52 $6.52

-35.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$3.49 $3.49

-48.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.29 $3.29

-10.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.80 $2.80

-30.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.58 $2.58

13.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.14 $9.14

$12.49 $12.49

-26.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$14.87 $14.87

1.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$4.19 $4.19

-57.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$5.80 $5.80

-65.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.58 $2.58

14.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.64 $1.64

-18.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 $24.92

$30.12 $30.12

-17.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.41 $1.41

-29.08%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$36.8K $36.8K

-33.75%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$26.6K $26.6K

1.29%

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

$277 $277

$308 $308

-9.84%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$69.2 $69.2

-6.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$86.1 $86.1

-14.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 $54.7

$76.5 $76.5

-28.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.86 $5.86

$35.50 $35.50

-83.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 $12.48

$18.02 $18.02

-30.74%

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

$1,033 $1,033

$2,746 $2,746

-62.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$30.6K $30.6K

-36.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.51 $30.51

$79.2 $79.2

-61.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 $40.13

$54.3 $54.3

-26.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 $94.5

$127 $127

-25.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$159 $159

-24.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$2,508 $2,508

-58.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 $843

$1,938 $1,938

-56.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,487 $1,487

$5,117 $5,117

-70.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 $1,196

$3,542 $3,542

-66.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,631 $1,631

$7,374 $7,374

-77.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,621 $1,621

$5,002 $5,002

-67.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,624 $7,624

$6,470 $6,470

17.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.89

-4.64%

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

Last update for Kearney, NE: 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

Kearney, NE

$843 40.6%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2% 130% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kearney, NE

$415 20%

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2% 11.5% $48

Groceries & Markets

Kearney, NE

$337 16.2%

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5% 62.5% $210

Eating Out

Kearney, NE

$265 12.8%

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7% 53.3% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Kearney, NE

$129 6.2%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 46.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Kearney, NE

$80 3.8%

Seattle, WA

$112 3% 41.2% $33

Getting Around

Kearney, NE

$9.6 * 0.5%

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4% 1243% $119

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 $1,038 in Kearney, NE and $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kearney, NE pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60 in Kearney, NE vs $101 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $547 per month, with Kearney, NE cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

2 h behind Kearney, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,385

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kearney, NE Seattle, WA 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kearney, NE
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,077 in Kearney, NE and $3,785 in Seattle, WA, so Kearney, NE is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Kearney, NE, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,038 in Kearney, NE versus $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,077 per month in Kearney, NE versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA – Kearney, NE is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,077 in Kearney, NE versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kearney, NE but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Kearney, NE 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.