Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Bradley, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Bradley, IL: $2,340 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Bradley, IL
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Bradley, IL Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Bradley, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Bradley, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $2,340 in Bradley, IL.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Bradley, IL $2,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $3,428 in Bradley, IL.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Bradley, IL $3,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $4,517 in Bradley, IL.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Bradley, IL $4,517

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 62% more expensive than in Bradley, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Bradley, IL 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$14.80 $14.80

65.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$62.6 $62.6

57.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$7.84 $7.84

88.65%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$5.61 $5.61

16.22%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.16 $2.16

49.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.13 $1.13

180.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$5.37 $5.37

46.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.93 $4.93

62.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$0.98 $0.98

23.47%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.38 $2.38

115.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.08 $4.08

48.28%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$3.94 $3.94

23.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$12.33 $12.33

55.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$15.71 $15.71

20.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$16.47 $16.47

41.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$5.91 $5.91

1.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.41 $2.41

-19.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.99 $3.99

31.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$5.32 $5.32

23.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.24 $3.24

11.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.73 $2.73

21.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.02 $2.02

37.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.99 $1.99

26.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$12.16 $12.16

0.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$14.67 $14.67

1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.15 $2.15

96.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$4.06 $4.06

42.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.83 $1.83

61.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$5.57 $5.57

-52.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.90 $2.90

-40.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$17.19 $17.19

72.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.12 $1.12

33.04%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$27.6K $27.6K

30.20%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.4K $26.4K

-0.53%

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

$302 $302

$219 $219

37.55%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$51.7 $51.7

35.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$64.9 $64.9

31.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$44.30 $44.30

75.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$9.56 $9.56

86.61%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$1,228 $1,228

142.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$12.4K $12.4K

152.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$46.39 $46.39

65.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$24.79 $24.79

118.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$58.5 $58.5

118.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$50.2 $50.2

227.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$1,476 $1,476

65.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$1,161 $1,161

67.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$2,202 $2,202

115.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$1,977 $1,977

75.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$2,548 $2,548

189.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

$2,217 $2,217

131.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.82

1.03%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bradley, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Bradley, IL

$1.2K 49.6% 40.4% $786

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Bradley, IL

$413 17.6% 24.4% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Bradley, IL

$336 14.4% 26.5% $121

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Bradley, IL

$259 11.1% 35.2% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Bradley, IL

$81 3.5% 57.5% $109

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Bradley, IL

$27 * 1.2% 78.8% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Bradley, IL

$63 2.7% 44.1% $50

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 $1,476 in Bradley, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $98.0 in Seattle, WA vs $63.0 in Bradley, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $413 per month, with Bradley, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Bradley, IL

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

2 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

15,419

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Seattle, WA Bradley, IL 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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Seattle, WA
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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 Bradley, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Bradley, IL differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($3,782 vs $2,340 including rent). Bradley, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $5,673 in Seattle, WA and $3,510 in Bradley, IL 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $1,476 in Bradley, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,973 in Seattle, WA versus $1,228 in Bradley, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bradley, IL – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $98.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,340 in Bradley, IL versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bradley, IL but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Bradley, IL 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 Bradley, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.