Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,167 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA versus $1,167 in Cozumel.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Cozumel $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,703 in Seattle, WA versus $1,884 in Cozumel.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Cozumel $1,884

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,661 in Seattle, WA versus $2,602 in Cozumel.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Cozumel $2,602

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 221% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 179% above, Cozumel is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$8.71 MX$160

181.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$45.03 MX$827

120.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$8.23 MX$151

85.91%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$2.79 MX$51.2

137.28%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.11 MX$20.39

192.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.02 MX$18.80

204.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$1.69 MX$31.02

359.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.17 MX$58.2

150.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.43 MX$26.29

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.64 MX$30.20

201.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$1.76 MX$32.32

250.57%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$1.89 MX$34.72

162.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$10.33 MX$190

83.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$8.06 MX$148

131.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$12.85 MX$236

80.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.47 MX$45.33

140.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.40 MX$25.70

38.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.13 MX$39.07

143.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$1.53 MX$28.16

328.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.24 MX$41.12

61.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.77 MX$32.43

78.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.46 MX$26.81

99.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.20 MX$22.04

98.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$4.43 MX$81.3

179.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$10.96 MX$201

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.54 MX$28.23

179.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.57 MX$47.14

121.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.69 MX$12.58

342.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$67.2 MX$1,233

61.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.84 MX$52.1

-7.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.97 MX$36.21

-11.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$9.29 MX$171

223.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.37 MX$25.12

6.57%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$20.5K MX$377.1K

78.89%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.3K MX$446.9K

5.51%

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

$299 $299

$59.7 MX$1,097

401.21%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$20.99 MX$385

231.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$22.26 MX$409

304.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$39.08 MX$717

104.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$20.46 MX$376

74.10%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$6.13 MX$113

182.71%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$261 MX$4,789

1044.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$3,671 MX$67.4K

752.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$54.3 MX$997

43.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$54.2 MX$994

1.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$104 MX$1,911

21.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$84.7 MX$1,555

94.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$606 MX$11.1K

297.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$399 MX$7,327

391.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$1,619 MX$29.7K

195.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$767 MX$14.1K

364.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$1,922 MX$35.3K

286.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$1,163 MX$21.4K

330.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$662 MX$12.2K

848.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

11.64

-41.15%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cozumel: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Cozumel

$399 33.9% 79.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Cozumel

$257 21.8% 52.4% $284

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Cozumel

$103 8.7% 77.6% $356

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Cozumel

$151 12.8% 62.4% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Cozumel

$134 11.4% 29.8% $57

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Cozumel

$83 7% 37.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Cozumel

$51 4.4% 55.2% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,407 in Seattle, WA and $606 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 848% 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: $99.0 in Seattle, WA vs $45.00 in Cozumel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $541 vs $257 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

2 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

77,236

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Cozumel 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Cozumel

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 Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Cozumel differ by about 221% in total monthly costs ($3,744 vs $1,167 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 848% 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: $2,407 in Seattle, WA versus $606 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $99.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Cozumel versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel 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 Cozumel 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 Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 221% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.