Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,735 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Seattle, WA is 53.3% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 115.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Seattle, WA is 58.8% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 108% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$11.78 ₡5,312

108.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$55.5 ₡25.0K

79.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$10.72 ₡4,831

42.72%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$4.49 ₡2,023

47.44%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$2.33 ₡1,051

39.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.81 ₡815

71.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.23 ₡1,455

140.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.42 ₡1,992

79.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.30 ₡1,037

-47.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.55 ₡1,600

39.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.71 ₡1,221

127.68%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$4.05 ₡1,825

22.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$9.92 ₡4,473

91.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$10.49 ₡4,729

78.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$13.56 ₡6,111

70.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$5.13 ₡2,312

15.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.68 ₡758

15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$3.63 ₡1,639

42.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$3.24 ₡1,463

102.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.40 ₡1,534

6.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.09 ₡1,394

2.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.11 ₡501

162.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.64 ₡1,192

-9.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$5.43 ₡2,446

127.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$15.63 ₡7,048

-3.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.75 ₡1,238

56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$3.27 ₡1,472

74.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.07 ₡480

185.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$65.3 ₡29.4K

66.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.18 ₡981

21.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.03 ₡916

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$8.82 ₡3,977

240.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.53 ₡688

-4.58%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$32.8K ₡14.8M

12.10%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$36.0K ₡16.2M

-28.62%

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

$299 $299

$93.4 ₡42.1K

220.58%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$30.19 ₡13.6K

130.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$57.1 ₡25.7K

57.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$65.1 ₡29.3K

22.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$22.13 ₡9,976

60.96%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$8.09 ₡3,645

114.22%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$740 ₡333.8K

303.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$12.6K ₡5.7M

149.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$75.5 ₡34.0K

2.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$54.6 ₡24.6K

0.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$127 ₡57.4K

-1.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$107 ₡48.3K

53.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$833 ₡375.3K

189.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$641 ₡289.1K

206.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$1,776 ₡800.8K

169.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$1,191 ₡536.9K

199.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$2,437 ₡1.1M

204.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$1,631 ₡735.2K

207.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$1,033 ₡465.8K

507.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

9.56

-28.35%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Costa Rica

$641 36.7% 67.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Costa Rica

$379 21.7% 29.9% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Costa Rica

$181 10.3% 60.7% $279

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Costa Rica

$222 12.7% 44.8% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Costa Rica

$164 9.4% 13.9% $27

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Costa Rica

$82 4.7% 38% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Costa Rica

$81 4.6% 29.1% $33

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

5,044,197

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Costa Rica 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Costa Rica

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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