Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Acosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Acosta: $1,690 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Acosta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Seattle, WA and in Acosta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $1,690 in Acosta.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Acosta $1,690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $2,672 in Acosta.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Acosta $2,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $3,655 in Acosta.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Acosta $3,655

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 124% more expensive than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Acosta 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$12.09 ₡5,423

102.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$57.0 ₡25.6K

72.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$11.84 ₡5,309

24.92%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$4.34 ₡1,948

50.23%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.65 ₡1,188

21.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.91 ₡856

65.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.37 ₡1,510

132.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.46 ₡1,998

80.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.30 ₡1,033

-47.39%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.86 ₡1,284

79.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$2.48 ₡1,112

143.95%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$3.44 ₡1,542

41.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$10.67 ₡4,784

79.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$10.36 ₡4,644

82.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$14.09 ₡6,320

65.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$5.17 ₡2,320

15.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.57 ₡705

22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.44 ₡1,543

52.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$3.43 ₡1,539

91.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.07 ₡1,379

17.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.18 ₡1,425

4.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.08 ₡486

157.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.64 ₡1,186

-4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$5.65 ₡2,532

115.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$16.42 ₡7,365

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.51 ₡1,126

68.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.73 ₡1,226

111.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.30 ₡584

126.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.46 ₡1,104

7.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.60 ₡719

7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$8.78 ₡3,938

238.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.57 ₡704

-5.10%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$22.0K ₡9.9M

62.94%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.93%

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

$302 $302

$96.5 ₡43.3K

212.66%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$29.41 ₡13.2K

138.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$59.9 ₡26.9K

42.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$73.5 ₡33.0K

5.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$7.54 ₡3,381

136.60%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$857 ₡384.5K

246.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$17.0K ₡7.6M

83.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$70.3 ₡31.5K

8.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$55.5 ₡24.9K

-2.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$128 ₡57.3K

0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$134 ₡60.1K

22.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$790 ₡354.3K

209.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$627 ₡281.1K

210.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,874 ₡840.2K

153.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$1,259 ₡564.7K

175.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$1,977 ₡886.4K

272.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

$1,467 ₡657.9K

343.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Acosta: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Acosta

$627 37.1% 67.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Acosta

$370 21.9% 32.2% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Acosta

$186 11% 59.4% $271

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Acosta

$228 13.5% 42.9% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Acosta

$174 10.3% 8.3% $16

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Acosta

$16 * 0.9% 87.9% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Acosta

$89 5.2% 22% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,445 in Seattle, WA and $790 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 344% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $98.0 in Seattle, WA vs $57.0 in Acosta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $370 per month, with Acosta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

05:34 5:34 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

3,072

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seattle, WA Acosta 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Acosta

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

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

Seattle, WA and Acosta differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($3,782 vs $1,690 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 344% higher in Seattle, WA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $790 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,782 per month in Seattle, WA versus $1,690 in Acosta – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,690 in Acosta versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Acosta are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.