Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,044 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $32,400 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA versus $1,044 in Alexandria.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Alexandria $1,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,703 in Seattle, WA versus $1,704 in Alexandria.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Alexandria $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,661 in Seattle, WA versus $2,364 in Alexandria.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Alexandria $2,364

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 259% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 179% above, Alexandria is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$15.61 JMD 2,474

57.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$76.6 JMD 12.1K

29.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$8.75 JMD 1,386

74.86%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$5.28 JMD 837

25.38%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.16 JMD 185

180.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$0.68 JMD 107

357.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$2.27 JMD 360

242.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.21 JMD 509

147.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$4.09 JMD 648

-70.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.86 JMD 612

27.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$1.59 JMD 251

288.05%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$3.53 JMD 559

40.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$11.57 JMD 1,833

64.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$6.39 JMD 1,013

192.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$10.30 JMD 1,632

124.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$6.22 JMD 986

-4.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.93 JMD 623

-50.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$7.47 JMD 1,184

-30.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$3.01 JMD 477

117.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.33 JMD 527

8.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.59 JMD 410

22.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.12 JMD 494

-6.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.47 JMD 232

61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$9.74 JMD 1,544

26.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$11.57 JMD 1,834

29.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.90 JMD 460

48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$4.07 JMD 645

39.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.17 JMD 186

125.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.13 JMD 496

-44.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$6.42 JMD 1,017

367.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.42 JMD 224

2.82%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-18.17%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-22.01%

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

$299 $299

$174 JMD 27.6K

71.86%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$30.04 JMD 4,761

131.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$53.0 JMD 8,395

70.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$13.14 JMD 2,082

31.89%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$359 JMD 56.9K

731.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$8,225 JMD 1.3M

280.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$23.28 JMD 3,690

233.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$31.50 JMD 4,991

74.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$77.3 JMD 12.3K

62.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$102 JMD 16.2K

61.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

9.45

-27.51%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Alexandria

$388 37.6% 28.2% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Alexandria

$257 24.9% 44% $202

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Alexandria

$240 23.2% 40.4% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Alexandria

$105 10.2% 44.7% $85

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.6% 87.3% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Alexandria

$26 * 2.5% 77.1% $88

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $99.0 in Seattle, WA vs $77.0 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $541 vs $388 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

01:47 1:47 AM

2 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

1,927

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Alexandria 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Alexandria differ by about 259% in total monthly costs ($3,744 vs $1,044 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $5,616 in Seattle, WA and $1,567 in Alexandria to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $2,986 in Seattle, WA versus $359 in Alexandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $99.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,044 in Alexandria versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria 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.

Expats usually find Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 259% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.