Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Fond du Lac, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Fond du Lac, WI: $986 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $33,600 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Fond du Lac, WI
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Fond du Lac, WI Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Fond du Lac, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Fond du Lac, WI

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 Fond du Lac, WI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,785 in Seattle, WA versus $986 in Fond du Lac, WI.

Seattle, WA $3,785
Fond du Lac, WI $986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,688 in Seattle, WA versus $1,651 in Fond du Lac, WI.

Seattle, WA $5,688
Fond du Lac, WI $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,592 in Seattle, WA versus $2,316 in Fond du Lac, WI.

Seattle, WA $7,592
Fond du Lac, WI $2,316

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 284% more expensive than in Fond du Lac, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 178% above, Fond du Lac, WI is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.30 $25.30

$12.53 $12.53

101.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$67.7 $67.7

49.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.76 $14.76

$8.02 $8.02

84.04%

Cappuccino

$6.50 $6.50

$4.04 $4.04

60.89%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$2.93 $2.93

9.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.25 $2.25

39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.90 $3.90

104.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$6.13 $6.13

32.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.77 $0.77

51.95%

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.68 $2.68

97.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$2.92 $2.92

119.18%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$3.15 $3.15

60.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$16.78 $16.78

11.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.72 $18.72

$11.31 $11.31

65.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.88 $22.88

$12.99 $12.99

76.14%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$4.37 $4.37

38.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.66 $1.66

17.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$3.43 $3.43

60.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$6.08 $6.08

7.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$4.74 $4.74

-26.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.61 $2.61

26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.97 $0.97

188.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.78 $1.78

44.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 $12.49

$11.20 $11.20

11.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$8.16 $8.16

82.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.76 $1.76

138.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 $5.80

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$9.98 $9.98

-74.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.12 $30.12

$19.79 $19.79

52.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$0.95 $0.95

48.42%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$24.5K $24.5K

49.90%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$25.6K $25.6K

3.97%

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

$308 $308

$99.4 $99.4

209.53%

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

$69.2 $69.2

$37.66 $37.66

83.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 $86.1

$51.0 $51.0

68.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.5 $76.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

Cinema Ticket

$18.02 $18.02

$11.82 $11.82

52.45%

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

$2,746 $2,746

$1,492 $1,492

84.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 $79.2

$56.6 $56.6

39.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 $54.3

$47.39 $47.39

14.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$88.5 $88.5

43.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$227 $227

-29.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 $2,508

$1,189 $1,189

111.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,117 $5,117

$1,472 $1,472

247.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,542 $3,542

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,374 $7,374

$2,022 $2,022

264.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,002 $5,002

$2,007 $2,007

149.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,470 $6,470

$2,964 $2,964

118.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.43

7.15%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Fond du Lac, WI: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2%

Fond du Lac, WI

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5%

Fond du Lac, WI

$350 * 35.5% 36% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2%

Fond du Lac, WI

$188 19.1% 59.4% $275

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7%

Fond du Lac, WI

$225 22.8% 44.6% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Fond du Lac, WI

$189 19.1% 0% $0

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Fond du Lac, WI

$10 * 1% 92.3% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$112 3%

Fond du Lac, WI

$24 * 2.4% 79% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,508 in Seattle, WA and $1,189 in Fond du Lac, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.2 times 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 $68 in Fond du Lac, WI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $547 vs $350 per month, with Fond du Lac, WI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Fond du Lac, WI

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

2 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

43,021

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Seattle, WA Fond du Lac, WI 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seattle, WA vs Fond du Lac, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,785 in Seattle, WA and $986 in Fond du Lac, WI, so Fond du Lac, WI is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $2,508 in Seattle, WA versus $1,189 in Fond du Lac, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,746 in Seattle, WA versus $1,492 in Fond du Lac, WI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Fond du Lac, WI – a meal for two runs $68 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $986 in Fond du Lac, WI versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Fond du Lac, WI but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Fond du Lac, WI 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.

It comes down to priorities – Fond du Lac, WI wins on affordability, Seattle, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.