Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Seattle, WA: $3,800 a month against $4,325 in Santa Cruz, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Cruz, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

211

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, CA
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Santa Cruz, CA Living Index
185

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

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Santa Cruz, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,325

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,325 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA.

Santa Cruz, CA $4,325
Seattle, WA $3,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,239 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $5,702 in Seattle, WA.

Santa Cruz, CA $6,239
Seattle, WA $5,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,152 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $7,603 in Seattle, WA.

Santa Cruz, CA $8,152
Seattle, WA $7,603

Living in Santa Cruz, CA is roughly 14% more expensive than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Cruz, CA 220% above, Seattle, WA 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.97 $24.97

$25.32 $25.32

-1.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$101 $101

-1.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.15 $15.15

$14.85 $14.85

2.02%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$6.59 $6.59

-13.35%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$3.22 $3.22

6.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$3.14 $3.14

-26.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$8.18 $8.18

-4.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$8.03 $8.03

1.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.21 $1.21

14.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.73 $4.73

$5.12 $5.12

-7.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.80 $7.80

$6.30 $6.30

23.81%

Eggs

$6.16 $6.16

$4.90 $4.90

25.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.59 $26.59

$19.10 $19.10

39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.85 $16.85

$18.50 $18.50

-8.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 $17.71

$23.03 $23.03

-23.10%

Apples (1kg)

$7.96 $7.96

$5.81 $5.81

37.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.95 $1.95

18.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.36 $8.36

$5.29 $5.29

58.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$6.48 $6.48

3.86%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.57 $3.57

22.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.15 $3.15

-5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.85 $2.85

74.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.42 $2.42

23.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$12.75 $12.75

-8.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.52 $24.52

$14.99 $14.99

63.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$4.17 $4.17

-48.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$5.99 $5.99

-45.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.04 $3.04

-34.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$110 $110

-41.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.55 $2.55

23.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.64 $1.64

48.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.55 $40.55

$29.58 $29.58

37.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.42 $1.42

8.45%

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

$37.5K $37.5K

$35.7K $35.7K

5.02%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$25.6K $25.6K

0.85%

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

$377 $377

$299 $299

26.02%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$70.8 $70.8

-16.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$88.3 $88.3

-24.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.3 $79.3

$79.5 $79.5

-0.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.55 $12.55

$35.37 $35.37

-64.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 $15.76

$17.12 $17.12

-7.94%

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

$2,455 $2,455

$3,013 $3,013

-18.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.4K $29.4K

$31.6K $31.6K

-6.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 $66.9

$77.2 $77.2

-13.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.92 $48.92

$55.1 $55.1

-11.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 $90.7

$126 $126

-27.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$163 $163

-1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 $3,054

$2,464 $2,464

23.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,471 $2,471

$1,956 $1,956

26.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,807 $4,807

$4,711 $4,711

2.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,164 $4,164

$3,550 $3,550

17.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,919 $7,919

$7,346 $7,346

7.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K $11.3K

$5,048 $5,048

123.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,511 $5,511

$6,286 $6,286

-12.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

6.85

-5.55%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz, CA

$2.5K 57.1%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5% 20.8% $515

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, CA

$596 13.8%

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3% 9.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, CA

$503 11.6%

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1% 8.9% $45

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, CA

$392 9.1%

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8% 4.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, CA

$165 3.8%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 14.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, CA

$111 2.6%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 2.7% $3

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, CA

$88 2%

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5% 51.7% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,054 in Santa Cruz, CA and $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $100 in Santa Cruz, CA vs $101 in Seattle, WA. Groceries flip the comparison at $596 vs $542, with Seattle, WA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Cruz, CA

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

Same time as Santa Cruz, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,220

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Santa Cruz, CA Seattle, WA 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz, CA
Seattle, WA

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

Seattle, WA wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Santa Cruz, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seattle, WA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Seattle, WA. 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: $3,054 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $2,464 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Seattle, WA – a meal for two runs $101 versus $100 in Santa Cruz, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,325 per month in Santa Cruz, CA versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 work as nomad bases, but Seattle, WA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,800 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Seattle, WA hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Seattle, WA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Santa Cruz, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.