Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richmond, Canada and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Richmond: $2,473 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
Learn more

Richmond Living Index
182

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index

Jump to prices

Richmond

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,473

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,473 in Richmond versus $3,762 in Seattle, WA.

Richmond $2,473
Seattle, WA $3,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,429 in Richmond versus $5,651 in Seattle, WA.

Richmond $3,429
Seattle, WA $5,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,385 in Richmond versus $7,541 in Seattle, WA.

Richmond $4,385
Seattle, WA $7,541

Living in Richmond costs roughly 34% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Richmond 83% above, Seattle, WA 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.20 CA$22.79

$23.80 $23.80

-31.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.4 CA$100

$98.6 $98.6

-27.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 CA$13.05

$14.94 $14.94

-37.88%

Cappuccino

$4.25 CA$5.97

$6.79 $6.79

-37.41%

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

$2.06 CA$2.89

$3.23 $3.23

-36.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$3.15 $3.15

-51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.21 CA$7.32

$8.21 $8.21

-36.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 CA$7.89

$7.87 $7.87

-28.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.12

$1.17 $1.17

89.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 CA$2.97

$5.29 $5.29

-60.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 CA$3.18

$5.76 $5.76

-60.76%

Eggs

$3.18 CA$4.47

$4.89 $4.89

-34.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 CA$12.63

$20.25 $20.25

-55.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 CA$15.56

$17.95 $17.95

-38.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 CA$14.15

$23.35 $23.35

-56.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.68

$5.94 $5.94

-55.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 CA$1.88

$1.89 $1.89

-29.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 CA$3.65

$5.35 $5.35

-51.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 CA$5.18

$6.57 $6.57

-43.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 CA$3.09

$3.39 $3.39

-35.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.56

$2.88 $2.88

-36.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 CA$2.92

$2.89 $2.89

-28.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$2.43 $2.43

-50.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.40 CA$20.25

$12.18 $12.18

18.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 CA$18.18

$15.24 $15.24

-15.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 CA$3.07

$4.38 $4.38

-50.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 CA$3.11

$5.89 $5.89

-62.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 CA$3.08

$2.96 $2.96

-26.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.0 CA$112

$109 $109

-26.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 CA$3.66

$2.52 $2.52

3.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 CA$2.18

$1.72 $1.72

-9.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.78 CA$39.06

$29.70 $29.70

-6.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.51 $1.51

-8.61%

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

$26.1K CA$36.8K

$36.2K $36.2K

-27.75%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$25.7K $25.7K

-16.89%

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

$132 CA$186

$289 $289

-54.13%

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

$33.10 CA$46.55

$69.1 $69.1

-52.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.86 CA$64.5

$84.8 $84.8

-45.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.42 CA$34.35

$69.4 $69.4

-64.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.42 CA$3.41

$35.05 $35.05

-93.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 CA$17.30

$17.97 $17.97

-31.55%

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

$617 CA$868

$2,819 $2,819

-78.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K CA$16.7K

$43.9K $43.9K

-72.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 CA$72.6

$91.2 $91.2

-43.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.74 CA$44.64

$55.1 $55.1

-42.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 CA$131

$127 $127

-26.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 CA$138

$162 $162

-39.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 CA$2,580

$2,579 $2,579

-28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 CA$2,009

$1,943 $1,943

-26.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,488 CA$3,499

$5,100 $5,100

-51.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 CA$2,803

$3,541 $3,541

-43.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,543 CA$12.0K

$7,357 $7,357

16.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,358 CA$8,941

$4,921 $4,921

29.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,091 CA$4,347

$6,448 $6,448

-52.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

6.8

-29.85%

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

Last update for Richmond: November 2, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Richmond

$1.4K 57.8%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.6% 36% $514

Groceries & Markets

Richmond

$302 12.2%

Seattle, WA

$544 14.5% 80.3% $242

Eating Out

Richmond

$260 10.5%

Seattle, WA

$399 10.6% 53.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Richmond

$211 8.6%

Seattle, WA

$443 11.8% 109% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Richmond

$123 5%

Seattle, WA

$196 5.2% 58.7% $72

Getting Around

Richmond

$99 4%

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5% 33.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Richmond

$49 2%

Seattle, WA

$105 2.8% 115% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,834 in Richmond and $2,579 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Richmond vs $99 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $544 per month, with Richmond cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Richmond

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

1 h behind Richmond

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,309

737,015

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Richmond Seattle, WA 180 km

From you

Richmond
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

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

Richmond wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Richmond the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Richmond. 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: $1,834 in Richmond versus $2,579 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Richmond runs roughly 27% less than in Seattle, WA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $617 in Richmond versus $2,819 in Seattle, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Richmond 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 Richmond gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.