Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,744 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,428 in Cancun, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Cancun $1,428

A couple spends around $5,703 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,290 in Cancun, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Cancun $2,290

A family of three spends $7,661 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,152 in Cancun, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Cancun $3,152

Seattle, WA costs about 162% more than Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Cancun sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 179%, Cancun by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$11.15 MX$205

120.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$54.6 MX$1,003

82.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$11.30 MX$208

35.40%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$3.86 MX$71.0

71.50%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.38 MX$25.26

135.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$0.80 MX$14.76

288.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.08 MX$56.5

152.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.35 MX$79.9

82.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.63 MX$29.94

-25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.71 MX$49.81

82.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$1.65 MX$30.27

273.94%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$2.72 MX$50.0

82.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$9.93 MX$182

91.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$8.80 MX$162

112.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$13.88 MX$255

66.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.83 MX$52.0

109.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.67 MX$30.66

16.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$3.20 MX$58.7

62.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$2.16 MX$39.74

203.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.03 MX$37.27

78.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.90 MX$34.95

66.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.15 MX$21.12

153.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.22 MX$22.47

95.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$4.51 MX$82.8

174.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$10.03 MX$184

49.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.56 MX$28.61

175.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.73 MX$50.1

108.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.64 MX$11.82

376.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$28.64 MX$526

279.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$4.50 MX$82.5

-41.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.98 MX$54.7

-41.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$13.62 MX$250

120.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.52 MX$27.84

-3.95%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.0K MX$385.8K

74.86%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.5K MX$449.7K

4.85%

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

$299 $299

$172 MX$3,166

73.63%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$23.50 MX$431

196.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$37.97 MX$697

137.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$33.57 MX$616

138.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$13.50 MX$248

163.85%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$7.33 MX$135

136.43%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$205 MX$3,760

1357.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$5,468 MX$100.4K

472.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$54.9 MX$1,008

41.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$54.7 MX$1,005

0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$76.9 MX$1,412

63.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$94.4 MX$1,732

74.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$672 MX$12.3K

258.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$464 MX$8,518

323.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$1,375 MX$25.2K

248.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$1,075 MX$19.7K

231.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$1,281 MX$23.5K

479.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$1,985 MX$36.4K

152.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$819 MX$15.0K

666.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

11.45

-40.17%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Cancun

$464 32.9% 76.4% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Cancun

$287 20.3% 47% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Cancun

$234 16.6% 49.1% $225

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Cancun

$202 14.3% 49.7% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Cancun

$126 9% 33.7% $64

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Cancun

$51 3.6% 61.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Cancun

$48 3.4% 57.9% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,407 in Seattle, WA versus $672 in Cancun. 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 667% 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 $99.0 in Seattle, WA versus $55.0 in Cancun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $541 vs $287 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

2 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

888,797

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Cancun 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA, $1,428 in Cancun – roughly 162% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,616 per month in Seattle, WA and $2,141 in Cancun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,986 per month in Seattle, WA and $205 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 89% 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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in Seattle, WA at $3,744. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Seattle, WA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,428 in Cancun to $3,744 in Seattle, WA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cancun. 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.