Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clarita, CA and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Seattle, WA: $3,785 a month against $3,884 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Clarita, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

185

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clarita, CA
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Santa Clarita, CA Living Index
184

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

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Santa Clarita, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,884

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,884 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA.

Santa Clarita, CA $3,884
Seattle, WA $3,785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,163 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $5,688 in Seattle, WA.

Santa Clarita, CA $5,163
Seattle, WA $5,688

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,442 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $7,592 in Seattle, WA.

Santa Clarita, CA $6,442
Seattle, WA $7,592

Living in Santa Clarita, CA is roughly 3% more expensive than in Seattle, WA.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Clarita, CA 185% above, Seattle, WA 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$25.30 $25.30

-21.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.1 $98.1

$101 $101

-2.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.17 $15.17

$14.76 $14.76

2.78%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$6.50 $6.50

-5.23%

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

$3.58 $3.58

$3.21 $3.21

11.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.14 $3.14

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 $7.80

$7.97 $7.97

-2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.78 $8.78

$8.13 $8.13

8.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.17 $1.17

-3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.07 $4.07

$5.30 $5.30

-23.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$6.40 $6.40

-22.19%

Eggs

$4.95 $4.95

$5.06 $5.06

-2.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.52 $19.52

$18.71 $18.71

4.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 $8.07

$18.72 $18.72

-56.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 $16.68

$22.88 $22.88

-27.10%

Apples (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$6.06 $6.06

7.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.95 $1.95

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$5.51 $5.51

-44.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$6.52 $6.52

-54.75%

Potato (1kg)

$8.86 $8.86

$3.49 $3.49

153.87%

Onion (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.29 $3.29

42.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.80 $2.80

24.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.58 $2.58

4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$12.49 $12.49

-4.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.03 $16.03

$14.87 $14.87

7.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$4.19 $4.19

-59.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 $4.40

$5.80 $5.80

-24.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.05 $3.05

-18.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.34 $27.34

$106 $106

-74.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.58 $2.58

9.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.64 $1.64

50.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 $60.4

$30.12 $30.12

100.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.41 $1.41

-9.93%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$36.8K $36.8K

-37.55%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.6K $26.6K

-1.24%

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

$223 $223

$308 $308

-27.60%

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

$55.6 $55.6

$69.2 $69.2

-19.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 $72.3

$86.1 $86.1

-15.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 $36.54

$76.5 $76.5

-52.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.26 $25.26

$35.50 $35.50

-28.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$18.02 $18.02

-20.87%

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

$1,451 $1,451

$2,746 $2,746

-47.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K $36.9K

$30.6K $30.6K

20.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 $73.6

$79.2 $79.2

-7.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.31 $27.31

$54.3 $54.3

-49.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 $73.1

$127 $127

-42.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$159 $159

-30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,827 $2,827

$2,508 $2,508

12.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,483 $2,483

$1,938 $1,938

28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,861 $3,861

$5,117 $5,117

-24.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,261 $3,261

$3,542 $3,542

-7.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 $3,653

$7,374 $7,374

-50.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,227 $4,227

$5,002 $5,002

-15.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,249 $5,249

$6,470 $6,470

-18.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

6.89

-5.81%

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

Last update for Santa Clarita, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Clarita, CA

$2.5K 63.9%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2% 21.9% $544

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clarita, CA

$444 11.4%

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5% 23.3% $103

Eating Out

Santa Clarita, CA

$361 9.3%

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7% 12.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clarita, CA

$351 9%

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2% 32% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clarita, CA

$128 3.3%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 47.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clarita, CA

$65 1.7%

Seattle, WA

$112 3% 72.9% $47

Getting Around

Santa Clarita, CA

$52 1.4%

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4% 146% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,827 in Santa Clarita, CA and $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $98 in Santa Clarita, CA vs $101 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $444 vs $547 per month, with Santa Clarita, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Clarita, CA

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

Same time as Santa Clarita, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

182,371

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Santa Clarita, CA Seattle, WA 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Clarita, 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

Santa Clarita, CA vs Seattle, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Santa Clarita, CA. 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: $2,827 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Santa Clarita, CA pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Clarita, CA – a meal for two runs $98 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. 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.