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 6.5% more expensive than Seattle, WA without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 18.3% cheaper than Seattle, WA without rent, and 3.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.67 $22.67

$25.25 $25.25

-10.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$120 $120

-33.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.29 $12.29

$13.79 $13.79

-10.88%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$5.61 $5.61

5.88%

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

$3.34 $3.34

$3.00 $3.00

11.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.50 $2.50

1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$7.85 $7.85

-11.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 $7.45

$7.92 $7.92

-5.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

White Bread (500g)

$5.17 $5.17

$4.86 $4.86

6.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.31 $5.31

28.25%

Eggs

$5.94 $5.94

$6.61 $6.61

-10.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.83 $23.83

$24.48 $24.48

-2.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$16.02 $16.02

-8.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.70 $23.70

$20.57 $20.57

15.22%

Apples (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$6.10 $6.10

19.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.88 $2.88

-2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$5.57 $5.57

-4.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$6.74 $6.74

8.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.20 $3.20

17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.79 $3.79

2.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.72 $2.72

6.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.62 $2.62

5.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 $14.11

$11.71 $11.71

20.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.97 $27.97

$15.81 $15.81

76.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.85 $2.85

-24.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.38 $4.38

-35.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.69 $2.69

-23.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 $65.3

$98.9 $98.9

-33.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.63 $2.63

55.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.65 $1.65

11.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.91 $38.91

$29.86 $29.86

30.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.14 $1.14

14.91%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$32.6K $32.6K

8.29%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.4K $26.4K

-0.76%

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

$222 $222

$264 $264

-16.06%

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

$47.02 $47.02

$60.6 $60.6

-22.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$76.1 $76.1

-11.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 $59.4

$78.0 $78.0

-23.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.01 $40.01

Cinema Ticket

$17.22 $17.22

$16.19 $16.19

6.36%

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

$3,211 $3,211

$2,253 $2,253

42.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.4K $38.4K

$29.7K $29.7K

29.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 $63.7

$70.5 $70.5

-9.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.07 $46.07

$51.8 $51.8

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$119 $119

-32.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$143 $143

-20.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 $2,895

$2,381 $2,381

21.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,674 $2,674

$1,887 $1,887

41.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,516 $5,516

$4,752 $4,752

16.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,288 $4,288

$3,585 $3,585

19.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,202 $8,202

$7,850 $7,850

4.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.0K $11.0K

$5,213 $5,213

111.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,539 $5,539

$6,446 $6,446

-14.07%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Winterthur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Pasadena, CA

🇺🇸 United States

St Thomas

🇻🇮 Us Virgin Islands