Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,684 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
185

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

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,684 in San Juan versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA.

San Juan $1,684
Seattle, WA $3,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,772 in San Juan versus $5,702 in Seattle, WA.

San Juan $2,772
Seattle, WA $5,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,861 in San Juan versus $7,603 in Seattle, WA.

San Juan $3,861
Seattle, WA $7,603

Living in San Juan costs roughly 56% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan 25% above, Seattle, WA 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,541

$25.32 $25.32

-51.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$101 $101

-39.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,139

$14.85 $14.85

-22.83%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,982

$6.59 $6.59

-32.93%

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

$2.77 ₡1,240

$3.22 $3.22

-13.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡870

$3.14 $3.14

-38.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,483

$8.18 $8.18

-59.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡1,996

$8.03 $8.03

-44.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,052

$1.21 $1.21

93.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,425

$5.12 $5.12

-37.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$6.30 $6.30

-60.16%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,551

$4.90 $4.90

-29.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,782

$19.10 $19.10

-44.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₡4,633

$18.50 $18.50

-44.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,233

$23.03 $23.03

-39.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 ₡2,230

$5.81 $5.81

-14.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.95 $1.95

-18.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 ₡2,079

$5.29 $5.29

-12.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,771

$6.48 $6.48

-39.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,731

$3.57 $3.57

8.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,684

$3.15 $3.15

19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡479

$2.85 $2.85

-62.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,379

$2.42 $2.42

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,691

$12.75 $12.75

-52.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.72 ₡8,844

$14.99 $14.99

31.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,236

$4.17 $4.17

-33.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,654

$5.99 $5.99

-38.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡614

$3.04 $3.04

-54.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,079

$2.55 $2.55

-5.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.64 $1.64

-6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 ₡3,849

$29.58 $29.58

-70.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$1.42 $1.42

9.15%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.7K $35.7K

-39.48%

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

$34.9K ₡15.6M

$25.6K $25.6K

36.40%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$299 $299

-67.77%

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

$35.06 ₡15.7K

$70.8 $70.8

-50.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 ₡26.6K

$88.3 $88.3

-32.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.0K

$79.5 $79.5

-15.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$17.12 $17.12

-56.19%

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

$1,001 ₡449.1K

$3,013 $3,013

-66.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$31.6K $31.6K

-46.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ₡31.8K

$77.2 $77.2

-8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.8K

$55.1 $55.1

0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡56.6K

$126 $126

0.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.2K

$163 $163

-17.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₡321.3K

$2,464 $2,464

-70.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₡266.1K

$1,956 $1,956

-69.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ₡829.6K

$4,711 $4,711

-60.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₡621.4K

$3,550 $3,550

-60.97%

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)

$6,286 $6,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.85

25.84%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$593 35.2%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5% 230% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$398 23.6%

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3% 36.1% $144

Eating Out

San Juan

$231 13.7%

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8% 77.3% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.3%

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1% 140% $267

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$174 10.3%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 8.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.9%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 38.9% $32

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5% 752% $117

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 $717 in San Juan and $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Juan vs $101 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $542 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

1 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

737,015

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Seattle, WA 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

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

San Juan and Seattle, WA differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($1,684 vs $3,800 including rent). San Juan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,526 in San Juan and $5,701 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: $717 in San Juan versus $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Juan 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 San Juan – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,684 in San Juan versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in San Juan but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan 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.

Safety-wise, San Juan 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 San Juan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.