Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Castle Rock, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Castle Rock, CO: $1,253 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Castle Rock, CO
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Castle Rock, CO Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Castle Rock, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Castle Rock, CO

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 Castle Rock, CO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $1,253 in Castle Rock, CO.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Castle Rock, CO $1,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $1,980 in Castle Rock, CO.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Castle Rock, CO $1,980

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $2,706 in Castle Rock, CO.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Castle Rock, CO $2,706

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 203% more expensive than in Castle Rock, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 182% above, Castle Rock, CO is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$22.63 $22.63

11.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$64.0 $64.0

58.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$9.25 $9.25

60.54%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$5.46 $5.46

20.70%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.49 $2.49

29.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.88 $1.88

67.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$6.79 $6.79

20.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$6.13 $6.13

31.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$0.99 $0.99

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.92 $2.92

75.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$2.80 $2.80

125.00%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$4.15 $4.15

18.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$11.14 $11.14

71.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$9.44 $9.44

95.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$19.20 $19.20

19.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.84 $4.84

20.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.46 $1.46

33.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.74 $3.74

41.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$5.25 $5.25

23.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.92 $2.92

22.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.20 $3.20

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.31 $1.31

117.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.72 $1.72

40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$10.17 $10.17

25.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$11.81 $11.81

26.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.58 $2.58

61.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.74 $2.74

118.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.47 $2.47

3.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.90 $1.90

-13.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$24.81 $24.81

19.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.79 $0.79

79.75%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$35.9K $35.9K

-0.29%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$25.2K $25.2K

1.40%

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

$299 $299

$210 $210

42.13%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$39.60 $39.60

78.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$71.3 $71.3

23.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$59.0 $59.0

34.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$12.17 $12.17

40.67%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$1,318 $1,318

128.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$17.6K $17.6K

79.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$54.4 $54.4

42.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$50.7 $50.7

8.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$81.5 $81.5

54.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$117 $117

38.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

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

$5,904 $5,904

6.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.77

1.18%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Castle Rock, CO: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Castle Rock, CO

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Castle Rock, CO

$362 28.9% 33.1% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Castle Rock, CO

$321 25.6% 29.9% $137

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Castle Rock, CO

$338 27% 17.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Castle Rock, CO

$137 10.9% 27.8% $53

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Castle Rock, CO

$12 * 1% 91% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Castle Rock, CO

$83 6.7% 26.8% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Seattle, WA pays 6% 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 $64.0 in Castle Rock, CO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $362 per month, with Castle Rock, CO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Castle Rock, CO

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

21:02 9:02 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

73,158

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Seattle, WA Castle Rock, CO 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Castle Rock, CO

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 Castle Rock, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Castle Rock, CO differ by about 203% in total monthly costs ($3,800 vs $1,253 including rent). Castle Rock, CO is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA versus $1,253 in Castle Rock, CO – a 203% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,253 in Castle Rock, CO versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Castle Rock, CO but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Castle Rock, CO 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.

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Castle Rock, CO 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 Castle Rock, CO gentler on the wallet – expenses run 203% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.