Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $2,398 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $2,398 in Cambridge.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Cambridge $2,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $3,402 in Cambridge.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Cambridge $3,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $4,406 in Cambridge.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Cambridge $4,406

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 58% more expensive than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 182% above, Cambridge 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$17.30 CA$24.45

46.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$55.8 CA$78.9

81.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$9.96 CA$14.07

49.10%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.51 CA$4.96

87.75%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.98 CA$2.79

62.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.32 CA$1.86

137.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.11 CA$7.22

60.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$6.24 CA$8.82

28.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.06 CA$2.91

-41.26%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.38 CA$3.36

115.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$3.09 CA$4.36

103.88%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.20 CA$4.53

53.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$10.84 CA$15.33

76.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$11.33 CA$16.02

63.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$14.30 CA$20.22

61.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.95 CA$5.58

47.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.18 CA$1.67

65.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$4.00 CA$5.66

32.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$3.68 CA$5.20

76.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.61 CA$3.69

36.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.98 CA$2.79

59.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.04 CA$2.88

39.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.41 CA$2.00

71.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$12.82 CA$18.13

-0.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$12.20 CA$17.25

22.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.57 CA$3.63

62.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.85 CA$5.44

55.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.44 CA$3.44

24.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$63.9 CA$90.3

72.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.42 CA$3.42

5.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.78 CA$2.52

-7.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$22.60 CA$31.95

30.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.16 CA$1.63

22.41%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$25.8K CA$36.5K

38.32%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$18.5K CA$26.2K

37.96%

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

$299 $299

$149 CA$211

100.73%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$42.05 CA$59.5

68.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$49.52 CA$70.0

78.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$28.59 CA$40.42

178.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$10.28 CA$14.53

66.54%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$528 CA$746

471.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$16.2K CA$22.8K

95.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$54.2 CA$76.7

42.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$29.82 CA$42.16

84.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$74.3 CA$105

69.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$103 CA$146

57.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,305 CA$1,845

88.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$1,299 CA$1,837

50.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$2,509 CA$3,547

87.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,989 CA$2,812

78.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$4,236 CA$5,989

73.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$3,850 CA$5,443

31.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$2,938 CA$4,153

113.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

5.09

34.58%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.2% 33.6% $657

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Cambridge

$345 14.4% 36.4% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Cambridge

$241 10% 47.5% $218

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Cambridge

$262 10.9% 36% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Cambridge

$118 4.9% 37.8% $72

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Cambridge

$85 3.5% 36.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Cambridge

$49 2.1% 56.8% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,464 in Seattle, WA and $1,305 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 114% 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: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $56.0 in Cambridge for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $345 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

138,479

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Seattle, WA Cambridge 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cambridge is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 114% 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: $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $1,305 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cambridge – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,398 in Cambridge versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cambridge but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Cambridge the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cambridge 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.

Expats usually find Cambridge gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.