Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Cold Lake: $1,912 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
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Cold Lake Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Cold Lake

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Cold Lake $1,912

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,791 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Cold Lake $2,791

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,670 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Cold Lake $3,670

Seattle, WA costs about 99% more than Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Cold Lake sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Cold Lake by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$19.96 CA$28.21

26.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$57.5 CA$81.2

76.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$9.67 CA$13.68

53.57%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.82 CA$5.40

72.51%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.26 CA$3.19

42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.42 CA$2.01

121.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.57 CA$7.87

46.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$6.14 CA$8.68

30.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.16 CA$1.64

4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.18 CA$3.09

134.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$2.87 CA$4.06

119.51%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.07 CA$4.35

59.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$10.61 CA$14.99

80.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$11.16 CA$15.77

65.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$18.77 CA$26.53

22.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.50 CA$4.94

66.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.16 CA$1.64

68.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.81 CA$3.97

88.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$2.48 CA$3.50

161.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.15 CA$3.04

66.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.06 CA$1.50

197.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.33 CA$3.30

22.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.75 CA$2.48

38.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$11.94 CA$16.88

6.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$11.41 CA$16.14

31.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.57 CA$5.05

16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.85 CA$4.03

110.18%

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

$2.92 CA$4.13

-12.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.38 CA$1.95

18.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$20.67 CA$29.22

43.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.03 CA$1.45

37.86%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$28.3K CA$40.0K

26.49%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$19.4K CA$27.4K

31.87%

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

$299 $299

$225 CA$318

32.89%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$43.04 CA$60.8

64.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$54.3 CA$76.7

62.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$12.61 CA$17.82

35.77%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$761 CA$1,075

296.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$9,434 CA$13.3K

235.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$28.35 CA$40.08

172.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$35.05 CA$49.55

57.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$51.5 CA$72.8

144.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$85.9 CA$121

89.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$860 CA$1,216

186.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$840 CA$1,188

132.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,544 CA$2,183

205.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,397 CA$1,975

154.05%

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

$3,084 CA$4,359

103.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.32

58.56%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Cold Lake

$840 44% 57% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Cold Lake

$335 17.5% 38.2% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Cold Lake

$322 16.9% 29.7% $136

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Cold Lake

$289 15.1% 29.2% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Cold Lake

$90 4.7% 52.3% $99

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5% 92.6% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3% 77.8% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $860 in Cold Lake. 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 104% 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 $101 in Seattle, WA versus $57.0 in Cold Lake. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $335 – making Cold Lake the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

11,595

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Seattle, WA Cold Lake 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Cold Lake

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 Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $2,868 in Cold Lake. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,800 in Seattle, WA and $1,912 in Cold Lake. That's a gap of about 99%.

Kindergarten costs $3,013 per month in Seattle, WA and $761 in Cold Lake. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cold Lake, where all-in costs run around $1,912, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In Cold Lake it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cold Lake – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cold Lake. 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.