Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: $1,602 a month against $3,822 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Seattle, WA, United States
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Seattle, WA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,822
/mo nomad
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,602
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,822 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,602 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

  • Seattle, WA $3,822
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,602

A couple spends around $5,708 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,413 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

  • Seattle, WA $5,708
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,413

A family of three spends $7,594 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,223 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

  • Seattle, WA $7,594
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,223

Seattle, WA costs about 138% more than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 186%, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.89 $23.89
$10.21 MX$189
133.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$102 $102
$49.28 MX$912
106.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.20 $15.20
$10.07 MX$186
50.94%
Cappuccino
$6.64 $6.64
$3.41 MX$63.0
94.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 $3.15
$1.49 MX$27.55
111.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 $3.11
$0.95 MX$17.62
227.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.23 $8.23
$2.38 MX$44.12
245.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$4.21 MX$77.8
88.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.71 MX$31.59
-27.49%
White Bread (500g)
$5.10 $5.10
$3.12 MX$57.6
63.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.68 $5.68
$2.41 MX$44.57
135.68%
Eggs
$5.04 $5.04
$2.31 MX$42.79
118.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.44 $20.44
$11.68 MX$216
75.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$18.42 $18.42
$9.79 MX$181
88.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.34 $23.34
$13.65 MX$252
70.99%
Apples (1kg)
$5.91 $5.91
$2.54 MX$47.02
132.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 $1.94
$1.52 MX$28.04
27.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.55 $5.55
$1.53 MX$28.36
262.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.51 $6.51
$1.63 MX$30.09
299.39%
Potato (1kg)
$3.54 $3.54
$1.24 MX$22.97
185.48%
Onion (1kg)
$2.93 $2.93
$1.89 MX$34.97
55.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.79 $2.79
$2.85 MX$52.8
-2.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.37 $2.37
$1.24 MX$22.88
91.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.24 $12.24
$4.96 MX$91.8
146.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.27 $15.27
$10.68 MX$198
42.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.19 $4.19
$1.48 MX$27.42
183.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.76 $5.76
$3.53 MX$65.3
63.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.08 $3.08
$0.88 MX$16.21
250.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$107 $107
$51.0 MX$943
110.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.62 $2.62
$4.35 MX$80.5
-39.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.67 $1.67
$2.97 MX$55.0
-43.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.63 $29.63
$10.50 MX$194
182.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 $1.45
$1.45 MX$26.75
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.2K $36.2K
$21.3K MX$394.4K
69.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K $27.1K
$23.9K MX$442.9K
13.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$289 $289
$82.7 MX$1,530
249.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$69.6 $69.6
$25.39 MX$470
173.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$88.9 $88.9
$31.24 MX$578
184.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.1 $74.1
$44.53 MX$824
66.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.40 $19.40
$30.42 MX$563
-36.23%
Cinema Ticket
$18.35 $18.35
$3.95 MX$73.0
364.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,878 $2,878
$230 MX$4,248
1153.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$43.5K $43.5K
$8,079 MX$149.5K
439.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.8 $92.8
$71.4 MX$1,321
29.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.5 $54.5
$50.7 MX$937
7.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 $128
$92.7 MX$1,715
38.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 $163
$66.3 MX$1,227
144.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,497 $2,497
$1,187 MX$22.0K
110.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,992 $1,992
$730 MX$13.5K
172.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,002 $5,002
$2,449 MX$45.3K
104.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,573 $3,573
$1,199 MX$22.2K
197.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,386 $7,386
$3,851 MX$71.2K
91.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,029 $5,029
$2,208 MX$40.8K
127.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seattle, WA
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,382 $6,382
$752 MX$13.9K
748.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.8
11.6
-41.38%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: November 9, 2026

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: November 7, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
$2K
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$730 63.4% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
$545
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$298 45.4% $247
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
$448
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$139 68.9% $308
Eating Out
Seattle, WA
$398
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$183 54.1% $216
Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
$197
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$126 35.9% $71
Getting Around
Seattle, WA
$131
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$74 43.6% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
$111
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$52 52.7% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,497 in Seattle, WA versus $1,187 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seattle, WA are about 8.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Seattle, WA versus $49 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $545 vs $298 – making Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Seattle, WA
🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🕒 Local time
13:05 1:05 PM
14:05 2:05 PM
1 h ahead of Seattle, WA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
737,015
202,694
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seattle, WA Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Seattle, WA
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur cheaper than Seattle, WA?
Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,732 per month in Seattle, WA and $2,404 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,187 there versus $2,497 in Seattle, WA.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 53% less in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,878 per month in Seattle, WA and $230 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Seattle, WA or in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,602, than in Seattle, WA at $3,822. In Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Seattle, WA or Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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