Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Lexington, MA: $2,672 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, MA
Learn more

Lexington, MA Living Index
184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index

Jump to prices

Lexington, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,672

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,672 in Lexington, MA versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA.

Lexington, MA $2,672
Seattle, WA $3,782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,542 in Lexington, MA versus $5,636 in Seattle, WA.

Lexington, MA $4,542
Seattle, WA $5,636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,412 in Lexington, MA versus $7,489 in Seattle, WA.

Lexington, MA $6,412
Seattle, WA $7,489

Living in Lexington, MA costs roughly 29% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lexington, MA 97% above, Seattle, WA 179% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 $20.23

$24.52 $24.52

-17.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$98.2 $98.2

-24.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.84 $15.84

$14.79 $14.79

7.10%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$6.52 $6.52

-25.00%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$3.23 $3.23

-11.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.17 $3.17

-35.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 $6.81

$7.85 $7.85

-13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$8.03 $8.03

-0.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.21 $1.21

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$5.14 $5.14

-23.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$6.05 $6.05

-21.98%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$4.88 $4.88

-14.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$19.18 $19.18

-34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$18.91 $18.91

-33.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 $17.08

$23.31 $23.31

-26.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$5.99 $5.99

-27.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.93 $1.93

-5.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$5.25 $5.25

-13.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$6.57 $6.57

-21.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.62 $3.62

-33.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.31 $3.31

-11.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.78 $2.78

-28.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.51 $2.51

-11.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.55 $8.55

$12.18 $12.18

-29.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.74 $16.74

$14.83 $14.83

12.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$4.22 $4.22

-56.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$5.77 $5.77

-40.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.95 $2.95

-25.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.65 $2.65

3.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.72 $1.72

1.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.81 $28.81

$29.72 $29.72

-3.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.49 $1.49

-30.20%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$35.9K $35.9K

-22.72%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$26.2K $26.2K

7.06%

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

$189 $189

$302 $302

-37.33%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$70.1 $70.1

-15.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$85.3 $85.3

-17.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.12 $42.12

$77.8 $77.8

-45.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 $13.93

$17.84 $17.84

-21.92%

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

$1,400 $1,400

$2,973 $2,973

-52.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$31.3K $31.3K

-24.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$76.6 $76.6

-23.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.47 $36.47

$54.1 $54.1

-32.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 $88.4

$128 $128

-31.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$164 $164

-32.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 $1,530

$2,445 $2,445

-37.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$1,947 $1,947

-29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 $2,878

$4,744 $4,744

-39.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,564 $3,564

$3,469 $3,469

2.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 $2,775

$7,367 $7,367

-62.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 $2,356

$5,127 $5,127

-54.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.89

-1.45%

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

Last update for Lexington, MA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, MA

$1.4K 51.6%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5% 41.1% $567

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, MA

$413 15.4%

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4% 32.3% $133

Eating Out

Lexington, MA

$338 12.6%

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6% 18.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, MA

$319 11.9%

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1% 43.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, MA

$133 5%

Seattle, WA

$190 5% 43.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, MA

$70 2.6%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 62.2% $44

Getting Around

Lexington, MA

$20 * 0.8%

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4% 539% $109

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 $1,530 in Lexington, MA and $2,445 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Lexington, MA vs $98.0 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $546 per month, with Lexington, MA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, MA

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

23:01 11:01 PM

3 h behind Lexington, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lexington, MA Seattle, WA 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, MA
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

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

Lexington, MA and Seattle, WA differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,672 vs $3,782 including rent). Lexington, MA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,007 in Lexington, MA and $5,673 in Seattle, WA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,530 in Lexington, MA versus $2,445 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,672 per month in Lexington, MA versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Lexington, MA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Lexington, 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 Lexington, MA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.