Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Brentwood, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Brentwood, CA: $2,609 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood, CA
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Brentwood, CA Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Brentwood, 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 Brentwood, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $2,609 in Brentwood, CA.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Brentwood, CA $2,609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $4,005 in Brentwood, CA.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Brentwood, CA $4,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $5,401 in Brentwood, CA.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Brentwood, CA $5,401

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 45% more expensive than in Brentwood, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Brentwood, CA 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$25.11 $25.11

-2.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$112 $112

-11.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$15.08 $15.08

-1.92%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$5.59 $5.59

16.64%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$3.06 $3.06

5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.48 $2.48

27.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$8.91 $8.91

-11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$7.78 $7.78

3.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.26 $1.26

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.33 $4.33

18.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.75 $4.75

27.37%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$5.42 $5.42

-9.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$24.69 $24.69

-22.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$11.72 $11.72

61.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$13.17 $13.17

76.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$5.41 $5.41

10.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$3.06 $3.06

-36.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$4.72 $4.72

11.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$5.89 $5.89

11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.30 $3.30

9.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.86 $3.86

-14.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.96 $2.96

-6.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.70 $2.70

-7.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.68 $11.68

4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$13.08 $13.08

13.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.17 $2.17

94.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.54 $2.54

127.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.94 $1.94

52.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.94 $3.94

-32.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.70 $1.70

1.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$32.36 $32.36

-8.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.54 $1.54

-3.25%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$27.7K $27.7K

29.77%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$27.3K $27.3K

-3.85%

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

$302 $302

$137 $137

119.95%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$39.77 $39.77

76.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$62.2 $62.2

37.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$39.88 $39.88

95.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$17.89 $17.89

-0.28%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$2,330 $2,330

27.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$23.9K $23.9K

31.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$52.1 $52.1

46.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$39.73 $39.73

36.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$76.2 $76.2

68.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$59.0 $59.0

178.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$1,791 $1,791

36.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$1,309 $1,309

48.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$2,551 $2,551

85.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$2,270 $2,270

52.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$2,730 $2,730

169.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

$2,181 $2,181

135.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

$6,395 $6,395

1.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.69

2.99%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brentwood, 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%

Brentwood, CA

$1.3K 50.2% 32.7% $637

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Brentwood, CA

$466 17.9% 14.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Brentwood, CA

$239 9.2% 47.7% $218

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Brentwood, CA

$395 15.2% 1% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Brentwood, CA

$102 3.9% 46.3% $88

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Brentwood, CA

$20 * 0.8% 84.4% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Brentwood, CA

$76 2.9% 33.3% $38

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 $1,791 in Brentwood, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 2% 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 $112 in Brentwood, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $546 vs $466, with Brentwood, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

Same time as Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

64,474

💱 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 Brentwood, CA 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Brentwood, 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 Brentwood, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Brentwood, CA differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($3,782 vs $2,609 including rent). Brentwood, CA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Seattle, WA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $1,791 in Brentwood, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,782 per month in Seattle, WA versus $2,609 in Brentwood, CA – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Brentwood, CA 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 Brentwood, 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 Brentwood, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.