Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Burlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington: $2,634 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,634 in Burlington, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Burlington $2,634

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,790 in Burlington, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Burlington $3,790

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $4,946 in Burlington, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Burlington $4,946

Seattle, WA costs about 44% more than Burlington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Burlington sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Burlington by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$21.10 CA$29.82

20.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$71.3 CA$101

42.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$10.70 CA$15.13

38.79%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.40 CA$4.81

93.82%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.98 CA$2.80

62.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.53 CA$2.16

105.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.52 CA$7.81

48.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$6.16 CA$8.71

30.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.63 CA$3.72

-53.99%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.78 CA$3.93

84.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$3.71 CA$5.24

69.81%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.51 CA$4.97

39.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$9.94 CA$14.05

92.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$10.43 CA$14.75

77.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$14.22 CA$20.10

61.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.56 CA$5.03

63.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.51 CA$2.13

29.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.72 CA$3.84

94.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$3.53 CA$4.99

83.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.92 CA$2.71

85.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.84 CA$2.61

71.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.05 CA$2.89

39.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.47 CA$2.08

64.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$13.04 CA$18.44

-2.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$10.57 CA$14.94

41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.61 CA$3.69

59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.85 CA$4.02

110.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.55 CA$3.61

19.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$97.3 CA$138

13.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$4.96 CA$7.01

-48.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.39 CA$3.38

-31.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$42.21 CA$59.7

-29.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.15 CA$1.63

23.48%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.2K CA$38.5K

31.30%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$20.2K CA$28.5K

26.76%

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

$299 $299

$143 CA$202

109.58%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$44.20 CA$62.5

60.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$66.7 CA$94.3

32.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$51.3 CA$72.5

55.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$29.46 CA$41.65

20.06%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$15.93 CA$22.51

7.47%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$1,151 CA$1,628

161.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$19.2K CA$27.1K

65.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$68.0 CA$96.1

13.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$63.8 CA$90.1

-13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$97.1 CA$137

29.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$97.0 CA$137

67.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,617 CA$2,286

52.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$1,393 CA$1,969

40.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$2,558 CA$3,616

84.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$2,136 CA$3,019

66.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$5,013 CA$7,087

46.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$4,029 CA$5,696

25.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$3,161 CA$4,468

98.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.52

51.55%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Burlington: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Burlington

$1.4K 52.9% 28.8% $563

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Burlington

$338 12.8% 37.6% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Burlington

$254 9.6% 44.7% $205

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Burlington

$296 11.2% 27.6% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Burlington

$147 5.6% 22.5% $43

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Burlington

$124 4.7% 6.5% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Burlington

$83 3.2% 26.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $1,617 in Burlington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 99% higher in Seattle, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Seattle, WA versus $71.0 in Burlington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $338 – making Burlington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Burlington

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

15:17 3:17 PM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

183,314

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seattle, WA Burlington 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Burlington

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 Burlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $3,952 in Burlington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burlington, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $3,013 per month in Seattle, WA and $1,151 in Burlington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Seattle, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,800 in Seattle, WA and $2,634 in Burlington. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Burlington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Burlington. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.