Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,893 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index
184

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

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Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,893

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,893 in Quebec City versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA.

Quebec City $1,893
Seattle, WA $3,744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,839 in Quebec City versus $5,703 in Seattle, WA.

Quebec City $2,839
Seattle, WA $5,703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,785 in Quebec City versus $7,661 in Seattle, WA.

Quebec City $3,785
Seattle, WA $7,661

Living in Quebec City costs roughly 49% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quebec City 41% above, Seattle, WA 179% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.19 CA$30.14

$24.56 $24.56

-13.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.1 CA$91.1

$99.5 $99.5

-35.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 CA$15.60

$15.30 $15.30

-28.30%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.21

$6.62 $6.62

-44.71%

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

$2.07 CA$2.95

$3.25 $3.25

-36.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$2.01

$3.11 $3.11

-54.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 CA$7.93

$7.77 $7.77

-28.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 CA$7.91

$7.93 $7.93

-29.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 CA$3.01

$1.21 $1.21

75.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 CA$4.05

$4.94 $4.94

-42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 CA$6.04

$6.17 $6.17

-31.12%

Eggs

$3.18 CA$4.52

$4.96 $4.96

-35.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 CA$12.62

$19.00 $19.00

-53.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 CA$14.96

$18.69 $18.69

-43.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 CA$14.78

$23.14 $23.14

-55.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.99

$5.93 $5.93

-29.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.26

$1.94 $1.94

-18.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.26

$5.19 $5.19

-28.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.56

$6.55 $6.55

-40.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.06

$3.62 $3.62

-20.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 CA$3.97

$3.16 $3.16

-11.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$2.91 $2.91

-7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 CA$2.03

$2.38 $2.38

-39.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.87 CA$21.16

$12.36 $12.36

20.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 CA$15.88

$15.02 $15.02

-25.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.15 CA$4.48

$4.30 $4.30

-26.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$5.69 $5.69

-40.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 CA$3.93

$3.05 $3.05

-9.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.6 CA$99.0

$109 $109

-35.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$2.64 $2.64

9.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.74 $1.74

-14.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.24 CA$48.70

$30.02 $30.02

14.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.78

$1.46 $1.46

-14.38%

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

$28.3K CA$40.2K

$36.7K $36.7K

-23.02%

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

$21.3K CA$30.3K

$25.7K $25.7K

-17.08%

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

$100 CA$143

$299 $299

-66.53%

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

$31.82 CA$45.26

$69.7 $69.7

-54.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.74 CA$63.6

$90.1 $90.1

-50.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.56 CA$49.16

$80.0 $80.0

-56.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 CA$21.72

$35.62 $35.62

-57.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.87 CA$15.46

$17.33 $17.33

-37.28%

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

$685 CA$975

$2,986 $2,986

-77.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,148 CA$13.0K

$31.3K $31.3K

-70.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 CA$84.9

$77.7 $77.7

-23.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 CA$71.4

$54.9 $54.9

-8.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 CA$128

$126 $126

-28.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 CA$153

$165 $165

-34.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 CA$1,458

$2,407 $2,407

-57.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 CA$1,101

$1,963 $1,963

-60.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 CA$2,226

$4,788 $4,788

-67.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 CA$1,818

$3,561 $3,561

-64.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,737 CA$6,737

$7,430 $7,430

-36.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 CA$3,884

$5,010 $5,010

-45.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,037 CA$4,320

$6,280 $6,280

-51.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

6.85

-35.18%

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

Last update for Quebec City: October 3, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quebec City

$774 41.2%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6% 154% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$342 18.2%

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2% 58.4% $199

Eating Out

Quebec City

$299 16%

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6% 34.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$177 9.4%

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1% 160% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$138 7.4%

Seattle, WA

$191 5% 37.9% $52

Getting Around

Quebec City

$91 4.9%

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5% 45.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$56 3%

Seattle, WA

$115 3% 104% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Quebec City and $2,407 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 107% 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: $64.0 in Quebec City vs $99.0 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $541 per month, with Quebec City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

3 h behind Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

737,015

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 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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Quebec City Seattle, WA 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Quebec City
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Quebec City wins on cost – living expenses run 98% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Quebec City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 107% 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: $1,025 in Quebec City versus $2,407 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,893 per month in Quebec City versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Quebec City runs roughly 56% less than in Seattle, WA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,893 in Quebec City versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quebec City but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Quebec City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Quebec City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,893 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Quebec City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Quebec City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.