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

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, CA is 20.4% cheaper than Seattle, WA without rent, and 16.7% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 12.2% cheaper than Seattle, WA without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.44 $22.44

$25.11 $25.11

-10.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$118 $118

-32.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 $12.36

$13.84 $13.84

-10.69%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$5.8 $5.8

0.86%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$2.95 $2.95

15.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.51 $2.51

1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$7.81 $7.81

-11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 $7.46

$7.84 $7.84

-4.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.34 $1.34

6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$5.16 $5.16

$4.98 $4.98

3.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$5.35 $5.35

24.30%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$6.91 $6.91

-13.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.24 $23.24

$24.8 $24.8

-6.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.85 $14.85

$15.74 $15.74

-5.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.7 $23.7

$20.84 $20.84

13.72%

Apples (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$6.05 $6.05

16.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.75 $2.75

1.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$5.47 $5.47

-2.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$6.45 $6.45

16.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.11 $3.11

24.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.69 $3.69

6.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.9 $2.9

$2.78 $2.78

4.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.52 $2.52

13.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.64 $11.64

21.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$17.15 $17.15

-29.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.94 $2.94

-26.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.19 $4.19

-36.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.8 $2.8

-26.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 $65.2

$101 $101

-35.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.68 $2.68

52.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.65 $1.65

16.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.9 $38.9

$30.13 $30.13

29.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.16 $1.16

6.90%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$33.3K $33.3K

4.72%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.3K $26.3K

0.72%

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

$221 $221

$271 $271

-18.52%

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

$47.05 $47.05

$61.8 $61.8

-23.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$75.2 $75.2

-9.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 $60.2

$78.4 $78.4

-23.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.04 $41.04

Cinema Ticket

$17.04 $17.04

$15.89 $15.89

7.24%

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

$3,225 $3,225

$2,248 $2,248

43.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K $38.5K

$29K $29K

32.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$69.5 $69.5

-9.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$52.5 $52.5

-11.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$120 $120

-33.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$142 $142

-19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,893 $2,893

$2,376 $2,376

21.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,648 $2,648

$1,829 $1,829

44.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,700 $5,700

$4,702 $4,702

21.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,219 $4,219

$3,474 $3,474

21.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,235 $9,235

$6,928 $6,928

33.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,116 $8,116

$5,224 $5,224

55.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,594 $5,594

$6,473 $6,473

-13.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

6.42

-0.93%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 29, 2025

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