Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Burnaby

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnaby: $2,678 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

182

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

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,762

/mo nomad

Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,762 in Seattle, WA versus $2,678 in Burnaby.

Seattle, WA $3,762
Burnaby $2,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,651 in Seattle, WA versus $3,866 in Burnaby.

Seattle, WA $5,651
Burnaby $3,866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,541 in Seattle, WA versus $5,054 in Burnaby.

Seattle, WA $7,541
Burnaby $5,054

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 40% more expensive than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 178% above, Burnaby 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 $23.80

$21.20 CA$29.82

12.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$86.4 CA$122

14.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.94 $14.94

$9.46 CA$13.30

57.93%

Cappuccino

$6.79 $6.79

$4.62 CA$6.49

46.97%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.39 CA$3.37

35.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.78 CA$2.50

76.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$9.39 CA$13.21

-12.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$6.15 CA$8.65

27.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.44 CA$3.43

-52.05%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.80 CA$3.94

88.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$3.47 CA$4.88

65.99%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$3.19 CA$4.49

53.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.25 $20.25

$14.00 CA$19.69

44.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$13.72 CA$19.29

30.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.35 $23.35

$25.40 CA$35.72

-8.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$4.49 CA$6.31

32.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.31 CA$1.85

44.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$4.63 CA$6.51

15.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$4.70 CA$6.61

39.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.82 CA$3.97

20.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.60 CA$5.07

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.75 CA$3.86

5.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.14 CA$3.01

13.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$14.36 CA$20.20

-15.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$13.38 CA$18.82

13.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.14 CA$3.02

104.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.44 CA$3.44

141.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.44 CA$3.43

21.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$81.5 CA$115

33.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.65 CA$3.73

-4.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.60 CA$2.25

7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.70 $29.70

$28.03 CA$39.43

5.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.42 CA$2.00

6.34%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$27.7K CA$39.0K

30.43%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$21.1K CA$29.7K

21.52%

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

$289 $289

$126 CA$177

129.22%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$44.52 CA$62.6

55.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 $84.8

$49.78 CA$70.0

70.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 $69.4

$31.28 CA$43.99

121.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.05 $35.05

$10.71 CA$15.06

227.26%

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 $17.97

$14.57 CA$20.49

23.34%

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

$2,819 $2,819

$653 CA$919

331.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.9K $43.9K

$18.7K CA$26.3K

135.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 $91.2

$53.0 CA$74.5

72.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$53.5 CA$75.2

3.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$103 CA$145

23.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 $162

$77.7 CA$109

108.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$1,631 CA$2,294

58.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,943 $1,943

$1,404 CA$1,975

38.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,100 $5,100

$2,671 CA$3,756

90.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,541 $3,541

$2,058 CA$2,895

72.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,357 $7,357

$6,937 CA$9,756

6.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,921 $4,921

$5,225 CA$7,348

-5.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,448 $6,448

$3,141 CA$4,417

105.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

4.76

42.86%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.6%

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.4% 27.7% $538

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$544 14.5%

Burnaby

$433 16.2% 20.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$443 11.8%

Burnaby

$220 8.2% 50.2% $222

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$399 10.6%

Burnaby

$329 12.3% 17.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$196 5.2%

Burnaby

$129 4.8% 34.1% $67

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Burnaby

$102 3.8% 22.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$105 2.8%

Burnaby

$60 2.3% 42.7% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,579 in Seattle, WA and $1,631 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Seattle, WA vs $86 in Burnaby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $544 vs $433 per month, with Burnaby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

249,125

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Burnaby 190 km

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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 Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,762 in Seattle, WA and $2,678 in Burnaby, so Burnaby is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $2,579 in Seattle, WA versus $1,631 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,819 in Seattle, WA versus $653 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,678 in Burnaby versus $3,762 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Burnaby but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Burnaby 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 Burnaby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.