Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,732 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
185

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

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San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,732 per month in San Rafael vs $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

San Rafael $1,732
Seattle, WA $3,800

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in San Rafael vs $5,702 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

San Rafael $2,736
Seattle, WA $5,702

A family of three spends $3,739 per month in San Rafael vs $7,603 in Seattle, WA, rent included.

San Rafael $3,739
Seattle, WA $7,603

San Rafael is about 54% cheaper than Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Rafael and Seattle, WA sit above the global median – San Rafael by 28%, Seattle, WA by 182%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 ₡5,496

$25.32 $25.32

-51.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 ₡27.7K

$101 $101

-39.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 ₡5,119

$14.85 $14.85

-23.10%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,973

$6.59 $6.59

-33.23%

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

$2.73 ₡1,225

$3.22 $3.22

-15.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡841

$3.14 $3.14

-40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$8.18 $8.18

-58.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,038

$8.03 $8.03

-43.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,044

$1.21 $1.21

92.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,352

$5.12 $5.12

-41.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,084

$6.30 $6.30

-61.59%

Eggs

$3.52 ₡1,580

$4.90 $4.90

-28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,712

$19.10 $19.10

-44.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ₡4,597

$18.50 $18.50

-44.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 ₡6,378

$23.03 $23.03

-38.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ₡2,282

$5.81 $5.81

-12.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.95 $1.95

-19.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,098

$5.29 $5.29

-11.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$6.48 $6.48

-40.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,741

$3.57 $3.57

8.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,653

$3.15 $3.15

17.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$2.85 $2.85

-61.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₡1,403

$2.42 $2.42

29.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 ₡2,739

$12.75 $12.75

-52.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.14 ₡9,031

$14.99 $14.99

34.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,254

$4.17 $4.17

-32.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,606

$5.99 $5.99

-40.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₡527

$3.04 $3.04

-61.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$2.55 $2.55

-1.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.64 $1.64

-4.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,803

$29.58 $29.58

-71.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.42 $1.42

8.45%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$35.7K $35.7K

-37.55%

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

$35.5K ₡15.9M

$25.6K $25.6K

39.02%

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

$93.5 ₡41.9K

$299 $299

-68.74%

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

$36.26 ₡16.3K

$70.8 $70.8

-48.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 ₡26.2K

$88.3 $88.3

-33.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 ₡28.3K

$79.5 $79.5

-20.75%

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)

$991 ₡444.6K

$3,013 $3,013

-67.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.5M

$31.6K $31.6K

-46.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$77.2 $77.2

-8.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.0K

$55.1 $55.1

0.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$126 $126

2.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.5K

$163 $163

-18.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₡332.0K

$2,464 $2,464

-69.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 ₡291.2K

$1,956 $1,956

-66.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 ₡927.9K

$4,711 $4,711

-56.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$3,550 $3,550

-64.10%

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 Rafael: October 11, 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 Rafael

$649 37.5%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5% 201% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$398 23%

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3% 36.1% $144

Eating Out

San Rafael

$229 13.2%

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8% 78.1% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$188 10.9%

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1% 144% $270

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 10.1%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 8.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$78 4.5%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 45.8% $36

Getting Around

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9%

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5% 784% $118

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $740 in San Rafael versus $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Rafael versus $101 in Seattle, WA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $542 – making San Rafael the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

1 h behind San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

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 →

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Between locations

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

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,732 in San Rafael, $3,800 in Seattle, WA – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,599 per month in San Rafael and $5,701 in Seattle, WA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Rafael and $101 in Seattle, WA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Seattle, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,732, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In San Rafael it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Seattle, WA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,732 in San Rafael to $3,800 in Seattle, WA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Rafael. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.