Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Cartago

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,713 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $1,713 in Cartago.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Cartago $1,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $2,362 in Cartago.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Cartago $2,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $3,011 in Cartago.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Cartago $3,011

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 122% more expensive than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 182% above, Cartago 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$8.64 ₡3,880

193.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$34.53 ₡15.5K

193.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$9.92 ₡4,455

49.70%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$4.54 ₡2,039

45.15%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.13 ₡956

51.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.36 ₡611

130.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.15 ₡966

280.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.06 ₡1,822

97.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.39 ₡1,074

-49.37%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.37 ₡1,066

116.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$2.47 ₡1,111

155.06%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.57 ₡1,603

37.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$8.61 ₡3,866

121.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$10.38 ₡4,661

78.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$13.94 ₡6,261

65.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$5.24 ₡2,355

10.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.29 ₡580

51.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$4.49 ₡2,017

17.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$2.91 ₡1,308

122.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.24 ₡1,005

59.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.17 ₡973

45.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.09 ₡488

161.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.18 ₡979

11.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$6.07 ₡2,726

110.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$15.16 ₡6,807

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.89 ₡1,297

44.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.03 ₡913

195.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.37 ₡613

121.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$73.2 ₡32.9K

50.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.33 ₡599

91.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.56 ₡703

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$8.95 ₡4,021

230.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.51 ₡678

-5.96%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.7K ₡9.7M

64.80%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.1K ₡15.8M

-27.22%

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

$299 $299

$52.4 ₡23.5K

470.30%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$35.12 ₡15.8K

101.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$59.9 ₡26.9K

47.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$73.8 ₡33.1K

7.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$77.8 ₡34.9K

-54.51%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$7.27 ₡3,267

135.49%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$549 ₡246.5K

448.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$7,878 ₡3.5M

301.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$70.1 ₡31.5K

10.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$56.5 ₡25.4K

-2.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$121 ₡54.5K

3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$87.7 ₡39.4K

85.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$923 ₡414.7K

166.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$704 ₡316.3K

177.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,869 ₡839.2K

152.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$724 ₡325.2K

390.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$1,344 ₡603.7K

367.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

8.62

-20.53%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Cartago

$704 41.1% 64% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Cartago

$348 20.3% 35.7% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Cartago

$147 8.6% 67.8% $311

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Cartago

$186 10.9% 54.4% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Cartago

$151 8.8% 20.2% $38

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 34% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Cartago

$88 5.2% 22.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,464 in Seattle, WA and $923 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 368% 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 $35.00 in Cartago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $348 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

02:54 2:54 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

110,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Cartago 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 122% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 368% 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 $923 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cartago runs roughly 50% less than in Seattle, WA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $3,013 in Seattle, WA versus $549 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,713 in Cartago versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Cartago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cartago 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.

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Cartago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cartago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.