Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Aliso Viejo, CA

For one person, living costs are similar in Seattle, WA and in Aliso Viejo, CA: $3,782 and $3,964 a month, rent and utilities included.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in Aliso Viejo, CA
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Aliso Viejo, CA Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Aliso Viejo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Aliso Viejo, CA

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 Aliso Viejo, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Aliso Viejo, CA $3,964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $6,003 in Aliso Viejo, CA.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Aliso Viejo, CA $6,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $8,043 in Aliso Viejo, CA.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Aliso Viejo, CA $8,043

Living in Seattle, WA costs roughly 5% less than in Aliso Viejo, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Aliso Viejo, CA 193% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$24.73 $24.73

-0.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$98.4 $98.4

-0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$14.32 $14.32

3.28%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$5.91 $5.91

10.32%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$3.51 $3.51

-7.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.80 $2.80

13.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$8.22 $8.22

-4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$9.94 $9.94

-19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.15 $1.15

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.77 $4.77

7.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.72 $4.72

28.18%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$5.08 $5.08

-3.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$11.33 $11.33

69.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$16.09 $16.09

17.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$17.67 $17.67

31.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$5.50 $5.50

8.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.73 $1.73

11.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$4.68 $4.68

12.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$6.62 $6.62

-0.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.61 $3.61

0.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.81 $2.81

17.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.20 $2.20

26.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.43 $2.43

3.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.92 $11.92

2.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$15.26 $15.26

-2.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.81 $1.81

133.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.11 $3.11

85.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.07 $3.07

-3.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$4.47 $4.47

-40.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.91 $1.91

-9.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$32.04 $32.04

-7.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.59 $1.59

-6.29%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$35.0K $35.0K

2.59%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$27.0K $27.0K

-2.85%

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

$302 $302

$212 $212

42.49%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$71.5 $71.5

-1.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$71.3 $71.3

19.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$38.84 $38.84

100.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$17.19 $17.19

3.78%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$1,698 $1,698

75.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$31.8K $31.8K

-1.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$72.5 $72.5

5.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$65.1 $65.1

-16.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$116 $116

10.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$169 $169

-3.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$2,908 $2,908

-15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$2,466 $2,466

-21.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$4,191 $4,191

13.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$4,644 $4,644

-25.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$7,007 $7,007

5.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

$6,500 $6,500

-21.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

$7,985 $7,985

-18.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.86

0.44%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aliso Viejo, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Aliso Viejo, CA

$2.5K 62.2% 26.7% $519

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Aliso Viejo, CA

$456 11.5% 16.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Aliso Viejo, CA

$355 8.9% 22.4% $103

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Aliso Viejo, CA

$398 10% 0.4% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Aliso Viejo, CA

$190 4.8% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Aliso Viejo, CA

$26 * 0.7% 79.6% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Aliso Viejo, CA

$73 1.9% 35.5% $40

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 $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aliso Viejo, CA pays 23% 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 $98.0 in Aliso Viejo, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $546 vs $456, with Aliso Viejo, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Aliso Viejo, CA

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

Same time as Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

41,489

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Seattle, WA Aliso Viejo, CA 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Aliso Viejo, CA

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 Aliso Viejo, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Aliso Viejo, CA differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($3,782 vs $3,964 including rent). Seattle, WA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Aliso Viejo, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aliso Viejo, CA pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $3,782 per month in Seattle, WA versus $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Seattle, WA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Aliso Viejo, CA 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 Seattle, WA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Aliso Viejo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.