Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Ciudad Obregon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon: $1,140 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $31,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Seattle, WA, United States
Ciudad Obregon, Mexico
Seattle, WA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,762
/mo nomad
Ciudad Obregon
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,140
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Ciudad Obregon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,762 in Seattle, WA versus $1,140 in Ciudad Obregon.

  • Seattle, WA $3,762
  • Ciudad Obregon $1,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,651 in Seattle, WA versus $1,763 in Ciudad Obregon.

  • Seattle, WA $5,651
  • Ciudad Obregon $1,763

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,541 in Seattle, WA versus $2,386 in Ciudad Obregon.

  • Seattle, WA $7,541
  • Ciudad Obregon $2,386

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 230% more expensive than in Ciudad Obregon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 178% above, Ciudad Obregon is 16% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.80 $23.80
$10.71 MX$201
122.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$98.6 $98.6
$34.58 MX$649
185.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.94 $14.94
$8.64 MX$162
72.92%
Cappuccino
$6.79 $6.79
$2.81 MX$52.7
141.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 $3.23
$1.16 MX$21.77
178.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 $3.15
$0.85 MX$15.96
270.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.21 $8.21
$2.53 MX$47.44
224.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.87 $7.87
$3.83 MX$72.0
105.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 $1.17
$1.70 MX$31.96
-31.18%
White Bread (500g)
$5.29 $5.29
$2.27 MX$42.57
133.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.76 $5.76
$0.87 MX$16.25
562.07%
Eggs
$4.89 $4.89
$3.03 MX$57.0
61.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.25 $20.25
$4.33 MX$81.3
367.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.95 $17.95
$5.41 MX$102
231.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.35 $23.35
$10.81 MX$203
116.00%
Apples (1kg)
$5.94 $5.94
$1.86 MX$34.97
219.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 $1.89
$1.05 MX$19.78
80.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.35 $5.35
$1.06 MX$19.85
404.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.57 $6.57
$1.28 MX$23.96
413.28%
Potato (1kg)
$3.39 $3.39
$1.86 MX$35.02
82.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.88 $2.88
$2.09 MX$39.24
37.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.89 $2.89
$0.52 MX$9.75
455.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.40 MX$26.33
73.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.18 $12.18
$4.35 MX$81.7
180.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.24 $15.24
$8.54 MX$160
78.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.38 $4.38
$0.53 MX$9.86
726.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.89 $5.89
$1.25 MX$23.56
371.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.96 $2.96
$0.62 MX$11.65
377.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$109 $109
$31.28 MX$587
249.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.52 $2.52
$1.89 MX$35.58
33.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.72 $1.72
$1.85 MX$34.69
-7.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.70 $29.70
$10.95 MX$206
171.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.36 MX$25.54
11.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.2K $36.2K
$24.6K MX$461.1K
47.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K $25.7K
$23.3K MX$437.5K
10.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$289 $289
$96.1 MX$1,804
200.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$69.1 $69.1
$27.93 MX$524
147.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$84.8 $84.8
$32.24 MX$605
163.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.4 $69.4
$31.90 MX$599
117.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.05 $35.05
$19.88 MX$373
76.31%
Cinema Ticket
$17.97 $17.97
$3.67 MX$68.9
389.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,819 $2,819
$298 MX$5,591
846.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$43.9K $43.9K
$4,881 MX$91.7K
799.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.2 $91.2
$42.67 MX$801
113.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.1 $55.1
$32.42 MX$609
69.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 $127
$63.9 MX$1,200
98.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$162 $162
$65.6 MX$1,232
147.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,579 $2,579
$646 MX$12.1K
299.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,943 $1,943
$429 MX$8,054
352.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,100 $5,100
$1,058 MX$19.9K
382.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,541 $3,541
$805 MX$15.1K
340.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,357 $7,357
$1,891 MX$35.5K
289.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,921 $4,921
$1,126 MX$21.1K
336.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seattle, WA
Ciudad Obregon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,448 $6,448
$1,160 MX$21.8K
455.89%
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 2, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
$1.9K
Ciudad Obregon
$429 77.9% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
$544
Ciudad Obregon
$205 62.3% $339
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
$443
Ciudad Obregon
$156 64.7% $286
Eating Out
Seattle, WA
$399
Ciudad Obregon
$174 56.5% $226
Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
$196
Ciudad Obregon
$92 53% $104
Getting Around
Seattle, WA
$132
Ciudad Obregon
$45 66% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
$105
Ciudad Obregon
$39 62.8% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,579 in Seattle, WA and $646 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Seattle, WA vs $35 in Ciudad Obregon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $544 vs $205 per month, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Seattle, WA
🇲🇽 Ciudad Obregon
🕒 Local time
04:12 4:12 AM
05:12 5:12 AM
1 h ahead of Seattle, WA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
737,015
329,404
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seattle, WA Ciudad Obregon 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Seattle, WA
  • Ciudad Obregon

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 Ciudad Obregon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Seattle, WA or Ciudad Obregon?
Ciudad Obregon wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Obregon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Seattle, WA or in Ciudad Obregon?
Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 5.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Seattle, WA compared to Ciudad Obregon?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,579 in Seattle, WA versus $646 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Seattle, WA and in Ciudad Obregon?
Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon – a meal for two runs $35 versus $99 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Seattle, WA compared to Ciudad Obregon?
All in, you’ll spend $3,762 per month in Seattle, WA versus $1,140 in Ciudad Obregon – Ciudad Obregon is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Seattle, WA or in Ciudad Obregon?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ciudad Obregon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Seattle, WA or Ciudad Obregon?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ciudad Obregon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Seattle, WA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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