Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Airdrie

For one person, living is cheaper in Airdrie: $2,524 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Airdrie
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Airdrie Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Airdrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Airdrie actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,524 in Airdrie, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Airdrie $2,524

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,650 in Airdrie, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Airdrie $3,650

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $4,775 in Airdrie, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Airdrie $4,775

Seattle, WA costs about 51% more than Airdrie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Airdrie sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Airdrie by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$19.58 CA$27.68

29.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$75.0 CA$106

35.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$10.59 CA$14.97

40.23%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.76 CA$5.31

75.27%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.23 CA$3.16

44.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.03 CA$2.87

54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.63 CA$7.96

45.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$6.18 CA$8.74

29.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.88 CA$2.66

-35.64%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.72 CA$3.85

88.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$3.44 CA$4.87

83.14%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.72 CA$5.26

31.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$11.13 CA$15.74

71.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$11.15 CA$15.77

65.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$18.49 CA$26.14

24.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.68 CA$6.62

24.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.33 CA$1.88

46.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$4.30 CA$6.08

23.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$3.89 CA$5.50

66.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.68 CA$3.79

33.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.74 CA$3.87

14.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.50 CA$3.54

14.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.83 CA$2.59

32.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$14.19 CA$20.05

-10.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$11.12 CA$15.73

34.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.43 CA$4.85

21.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.12 CA$4.41

91.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.16 CA$3.05

40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$173 CA$244

-36.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.24 CA$4.58

-21.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.31 CA$1.85

25.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$20.91 CA$29.56

41.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.16 CA$1.63

22.41%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

30.90%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$19.2K CA$27.1K

33.20%

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

$299 $299

$216 CA$305

38.39%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$42.79 CA$60.5

65.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$54.6 CA$77.1

61.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$83.6 CA$118

-4.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$35.63 CA$50.4

-0.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$13.79 CA$19.49

24.15%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$744 CA$1,051

305.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$9,529 CA$13.5K

231.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$43.04 CA$60.9

79.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$42.23 CA$59.7

30.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$84.4 CA$119

48.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$110 CA$155

48.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,278 CA$1,807

92.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$1,113 CA$1,574

75.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,719 CA$2,431

174.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,660 CA$2,347

113.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$6,071 CA$8,582

21.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$5,996 CA$8,477

-15.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$2,892 CA$4,088

117.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.32

58.56%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Airdrie: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Airdrie

$1.1K 44.1% 43.1% $843

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Airdrie

$379 15% 30.1% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Airdrie

$313 12.4% 31.6% $145

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Airdrie

$291 11.5% 28.8% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Airdrie

$126 5% 33.6% $64

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Airdrie

$191 7.6% 43.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Airdrie

$111 4.4% 2.3% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $1,278 in Airdrie. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 117% higher in Seattle, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Seattle, WA versus $75.0 in Airdrie. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $379 – making Airdrie the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Airdrie

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

12:13 12:13 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

54,891

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Airdrie 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Seattle, WA
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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 Airdrie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA, $2,524 in Airdrie – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $3,786 in Airdrie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Airdrie, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,800 in Seattle, WA and $2,524 in Airdrie. That's a gap of about 51%.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Airdrie. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Airdrie, where all-in costs run around $2,524, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In Airdrie it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Seattle, WA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,524 in Airdrie to $3,800 in Seattle, WA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Airdrie. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.