Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Cuernavaca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,011 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $33,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
Learn more

Cuernavaca Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $1,011 in Cuernavaca.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Cuernavaca $1,011

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $1,692 in Cuernavaca.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Cuernavaca $1,692

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $2,373 in Cuernavaca.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Cuernavaca $2,373

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 276% more expensive than in Cuernavaca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 182% above, Cuernavaca is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$8.05 MX$149

214.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$38.27 MX$707

165.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$7.24 MX$134

105.11%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$2.43 MX$44.98

171.19%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.27 MX$23.43

153.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.63 MX$11.60

398.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.50 MX$46.29

227.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.26 MX$60.3

146.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.70 MX$31.33

-28.82%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.21 MX$40.92

131.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$1.44 MX$26.52

337.50%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$1.92 MX$35.49

155.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$8.08 MX$149

136.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$4.89 MX$90.4

278.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$13.78 MX$255

67.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.23 MX$41.24

160.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.35 MX$25.02

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.17 MX$40.07

143.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$1.67 MX$30.92

288.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.71 MX$31.62

108.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.74 MX$32.06

81.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.53 MX$28.25

86.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.91 MX$16.78

165.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$4.39 MX$81.2

190.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$8.15 MX$151

83.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.22 MX$22.55

241.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.32 MX$61.4

80.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.57 MX$10.51

433.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$27.69 MX$512

297.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.90 MX$35.20

34.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.63 MX$48.52

-37.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$10.93 MX$202

170.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.42 MX$26.26

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.0K MX$387.9K

70.31%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$24.1K MX$444.6K

6.23%

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

$299 $299

$57.3 MX$1,059

422.01%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$18.78 MX$347

277.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$25.19 MX$465

250.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$25.75 MX$476

208.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$5.44 MX$100

214.71%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$217 MX$4,018

1285.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$5,075 MX$93.8K

523.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$41.29 MX$763

87.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$33.18 MX$613

66.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$93.0 MX$1,719

35.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$99.1 MX$1,832

64.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$385 MX$7,110

540.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$332 MX$6,140

488.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$957 MX$17.7K

392.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$804 MX$14.9K

341.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$870 MX$16.1K

744.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$606 MX$11.2K

732.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$649 MX$12.0K

867.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

11.4

-39.91%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Cuernavaca

$332 32.9% 83% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Cuernavaca

$234 23.1% 56.9% $308

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Cuernavaca

$101 10% 77.9% $357

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Cuernavaca

$142 14.1% 65.2% $267

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Cuernavaca

$120 11.9% 36.6% $69

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Cuernavaca

$45 4.5% 66.2% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Cuernavaca

$37 3.6% 67.8% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,464 in Seattle, WA and $385 in Cuernavaca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 868% 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 $38.00 in Cuernavaca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $234 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

341,029

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seattle, WA Cuernavaca 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Cuernavaca

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 Cuernavaca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuernavaca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 276% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 868% 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: $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $385 in Cuernavaca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuernavaca – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,011 in Cuernavaca versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuernavaca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seattle, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Cuernavaca 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 Cuernavaca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 276% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.