Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Ajax, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajax, ON: $2,482 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
Learn more

Ajax, ON Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Ajax, ON

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,482 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Ajax, ON $2,482

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,526 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Ajax, ON $3,526

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $4,571 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Ajax, ON $4,571

Seattle, WA costs about 53% more than Ajax, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Ajax, ON sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Ajax, ON by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$17.81 CA$25.18

42.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$53.0 CA$75.0

91.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$10.42 CA$14.73

42.51%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.49 CA$4.94

88.83%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.73 CA$2.45

86.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.50 CA$2.13

109.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.46 CA$4.90

136.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$5.44 CA$7.68

47.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.95 CA$2.75

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.80 CA$3.97

82.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$3.33 CA$4.70

89.19%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.01 CA$4.26

62.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$8.91 CA$12.60

114.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$11.24 CA$15.89

64.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$16.83 CA$23.79

36.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.99 CA$5.64

45.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.63 CA$2.30

19.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$4.10 CA$5.79

29.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$3.27 CA$4.63

98.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.93 CA$4.14

21.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.93 CA$2.73

63.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.97 CA$4.20

-4.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.89 CA$2.67

28.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$14.08 CA$19.90

-9.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$12.58 CA$17.78

19.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.99 CA$2.82

109.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.63 CA$3.72

127.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.35 CA$3.32

29.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$85.4 CA$121

28.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.27 CA$4.63

-22.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$24.92 CA$35.23

18.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.11 CA$1.57

27.93%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.2K CA$38.5K

31.30%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$18.6K CA$26.2K

37.72%

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

$299 $299

$126 CA$178

137.40%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$26.46 CA$37.41

167.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$57.0 CA$80.6

54.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$33.60 CA$47.50

136.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$10.32 CA$14.59

242.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$9.94 CA$14.05

72.23%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$885 CA$1,251

240.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$17.6K CA$24.8K

80.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$49.32 CA$69.7

56.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$37.67 CA$53.3

46.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$83.4 CA$118

50.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$105 CA$148

55.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,522 CA$2,152

61.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$1,384 CA$1,956

41.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$2,245 CA$3,173

109.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$2,134 CA$3,017

66.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$2,935 CA$4,149

114.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.8

42.71%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ajax, ON: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 55.8% 29.3% $572

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Ajax, ON

$356 14.4% 34.2% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Ajax, ON

$209 8.4% 54.3% $249

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Ajax, ON

$257 10.4% 37.1% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Ajax, ON

$124 5% 34.6% $66

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Ajax, ON

$98 * 4% 26.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Ajax, ON

$53 2.2% 53% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $1,522 in Ajax, ON. 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 114% 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 $53.0 in Ajax, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $356 – making Ajax, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

18:37 6:37 PM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

119,677

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seattle, WA Ajax, ON 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Ajax, ON

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 Ajax, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $3,723 in Ajax, ON. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ajax, ON, 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 $2,482 in Ajax, ON. That's a gap of about 53%.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Ajax, ON. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ajax, ON, where all-in costs run around $2,482, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In Ajax, ON it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ajax, ON – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ajax, ON. 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.