Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Brookhaven, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Brookhaven, NY: $2,722 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
133

Cost of Living Index in Brookhaven, NY
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Brookhaven, NY Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Brookhaven, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Brookhaven, NY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Brookhaven, NY $2,722

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $4,065 in Brookhaven, NY.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Brookhaven, NY $4,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $5,408 in Brookhaven, NY.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Brookhaven, NY $5,408

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 39% more expensive than in Brookhaven, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Brookhaven, NY 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$24.74 $24.74

-0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$98.9 $98.9

-0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$11.20 $11.20

32.05%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$5.35 $5.35

21.87%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.24 $2.24

44.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.54 $1.54

105.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$8.01 $8.01

-2.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$8.20 $8.20

-2.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.26 $1.26

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.31 $4.31

19.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$7.76 $7.76

-22.04%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$5.75 $5.75

-15.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$12.61 $12.61

52.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$11.62 $11.62

62.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$17.07 $17.07

36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$5.54 $5.54

8.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.73 $1.73

11.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$6.16 $6.16

-14.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$6.14 $6.14

7.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$5.47 $5.47

-33.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.77 $3.77

-12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.79 $2.79

-0.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.94 $2.94

-14.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.50 $11.50

5.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$24.08 $24.08

-38.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.71 $1.71

146.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$5.49 $5.49

5.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.86 $1.86

58.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.93 $2.93

-9.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.03 $2.03

-15.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$23.54 $23.54

26.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.10 $1.10

35.45%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$27.6K $27.6K

30.16%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.7K $26.7K

-1.74%

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

$302 $302

$211 $211

43.20%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$75.6 $75.6

-7.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$64.3 $64.3

32.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$40.96 $40.96

90.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$14.76 $14.76

20.87%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$2,237 $2,237

32.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$23.6K $23.6K

32.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$41.13 $41.13

86.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$56.5 $56.5

-4.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$76.1 $76.1

68.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$158 $158

3.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$1,587 $1,587

54.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$1,275 $1,275

52.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$2,527 $2,527

87.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$2,118 $2,118

63.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$3,099 $3,099

137.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

$2,127 $2,127

141.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.75

2.07%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brookhaven, NY: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Brookhaven, NY

$1.3K 46.9% 34.5% $672

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Brookhaven, NY

$489 18% 10.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Brookhaven, NY

$351 12.9% 23.3% $107

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Brookhaven, NY

$367 13.5% 8.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Brookhaven, NY

$149 5.5% 21.5% $41

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Brookhaven, NY

$21 * 0.8% 84.1% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Brookhaven, NY

$70 2.6% 37.9% $43

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 $1,587 in Brookhaven, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $98.0 in Seattle, WA vs $99.0 in Brookhaven, NY. Groceries flip the comparison at $546 vs $489, with Brookhaven, NY cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Brookhaven, NY

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

11,674

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Seattle, WA Brookhaven, NY 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Seattle, WA
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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 Brookhaven, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookhaven, NY is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,673 in Seattle, WA and $4,083 in Brookhaven, NY 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 $1,587 in Brookhaven, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% 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 $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Brookhaven, NY is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seattle, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Brookhaven, NY 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 Brookhaven, NY gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.