Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redwood City, CA and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Seattle, WA: $3,800 a month against $4,197 in Redwood City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Redwood City, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

203

Cost of Living Index in Redwood City, CA
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Redwood City, CA Living Index
185

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

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Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,197

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,197 in Redwood City, CA versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA.

Redwood City, CA $4,197
Seattle, WA $3,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,241 in Redwood City, CA versus $5,702 in Seattle, WA.

Redwood City, CA $6,241
Seattle, WA $5,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,286 in Redwood City, CA versus $7,603 in Seattle, WA.

Redwood City, CA $8,286
Seattle, WA $7,603

Living in Redwood City, CA is roughly 10% more expensive than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Redwood City, CA 211% above, Seattle, WA 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$25.32 $25.32

-1.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 $110

$101 $101

8.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 $13.44

$14.85 $14.85

-9.49%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$6.59 $6.59

-14.42%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$3.22 $3.22

0.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.14 $3.14

-15.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$8.18 $8.18

0.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 $8.87

$8.03 $8.03

10.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.21 $1.21

26.45%

White Bread (500g)

$5.37 $5.37

$5.12 $5.12

4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$6.30 $6.30

-22.86%

Eggs

$7.74 $7.74

$4.90 $4.90

57.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$19.10 $19.10

-21.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$18.50 $18.50

-42.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$23.03 $23.03

-14.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$5.81 $5.81

7.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.95 $1.95

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$5.29 $5.29

-15.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$6.48 $6.48

-4.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.57 $3.57

-16.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.15 $3.15

15.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.85 $2.85

-2.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.42 $2.42

8.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$12.75 $12.75

-7.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 $20.28

$14.99 $14.99

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$4.17 $4.17

-36.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$5.99 $5.99

-43.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.04 $3.04

57.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.55 $2.55

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.64 $1.64

-26.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.38 $38.38

$29.58 $29.58

29.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.42 $1.42

10.56%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$35.7K $35.7K

4.67%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$25.6K $25.6K

3.81%

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

$237 $237

$299 $299

-20.68%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$70.8 $70.8

-24.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$88.3 $88.3

-21.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$239 $239

$79.5 $79.5

200.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.93 $29.93

$35.37 $35.37

-15.38%

Cinema Ticket

$17.91 $17.91

$17.12 $17.12

4.61%

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

$2,907 $2,907

$3,013 $3,013

-3.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.0K $43.0K

$31.6K $31.6K

36.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 $45.86

$77.2 $77.2

-40.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.04 $25.04

$55.1 $55.1

-54.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$126 $126

-21.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$163 $163

-30.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,248 $4,248

$2,464 $2,464

72.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 $2,521

$1,956 $1,956

28.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,692 $5,692

$4,711 $4,711

20.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,469 $4,469

$3,550 $3,550

25.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,008 $8,008

$6,286 $6,286

27.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.85

-0.44%

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

Last update for Redwood City, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Redwood City, CA

$2.5K 60.1%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5% 22.4% $565

Groceries & Markets

Redwood City, CA

$493 11.8%

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3% 9.8% $48

Eating Out

Redwood City, CA

$390 9.3%

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8% 4.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Redwood City, CA

$360 8.6%

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1% 27.1% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Redwood City, CA

$275 6.6%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 58.6% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Redwood City, CA

$128 3%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 48.3% $62

Getting Around

Redwood City, CA

$29 * 0.7%

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5% 352% $104

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 $4,248 in Redwood City, CA and $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Redwood City, CA pays 27% 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: $110 in Redwood City, CA vs $101 in Seattle, WA. Groceries flip the comparison at $493 vs $542, with Redwood City, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

Same time as Redwood City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,314

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Redwood City, CA Seattle, WA 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Redwood City, CA
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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

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

Redwood City, CA and Seattle, WA differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($4,197 vs $3,800 including rent). Seattle, WA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Redwood City, CA, 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: $4,248 in Redwood City, CA versus $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,907 in Redwood City, CA versus $3,013 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 Seattle, WA – a meal for two runs $101 versus $110 in Redwood City, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Seattle, WA 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.

Expats usually find Seattle, WA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Redwood City, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.