Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Fort McMurray

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort McMurray: $2,242 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Fort McMurray
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Fort McMurray Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Fort McMurray

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,242

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Fort McMurray

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,242 in Fort McMurray, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Fort McMurray $2,242

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,323 in Fort McMurray, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Fort McMurray $3,323

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $4,404 in Fort McMurray, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Fort McMurray $4,404

Seattle, WA costs about 70% more than Fort McMurray, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Fort McMurray sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Fort McMurray by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$20.90 CA$29.54

21.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$55.8 CA$78.9

81.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$13.79 CA$19.50

7.69%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.88 CA$5.49

69.85%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.37 CA$3.35

35.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.52 CA$2.14

106.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.73 CA$8.10

42.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$5.33 CA$7.53

50.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.41 CA$2.00

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.70 CA$3.82

89.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$3.02 CA$4.27

108.61%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$2.98 CA$4.21

64.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$13.00 CA$18.38

46.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$13.01 CA$18.39

42.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$19.80 CA$27.99

16.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.44 CA$6.28

30.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.26 CA$1.78

54.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$5.19 CA$7.33

1.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$6.60 CA$9.34

-1.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.66 CA$5.17

-2.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.95 CA$5.58

-20.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.99 CA$4.22

-4.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.36 CA$1.93

77.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$15.66 CA$22.13

-18.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$14.09 CA$19.92

6.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$4.24 CA$5.99

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.49 CA$4.93

71.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.38 CA$1.94

120.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$49.42 CA$69.9

122.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.57 CA$5.05

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.11 CA$1.57

47.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$32.27 CA$45.62

-8.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.06 CA$1.50

33.96%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

31.00%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.2K CA$29.9K

20.84%

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

$299 $299

$190 CA$269

57.03%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$48.41 CA$68.4

46.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$61.1 CA$86.4

44.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$43.19 CA$61.1

84.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$8.77 CA$12.40

303.31%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$12.46 CA$17.62

37.40%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$559 CA$790

439.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$66.3 CA$93.8

16.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$35.33 CA$49.95

55.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$77.3 CA$109

62.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$85.2 CA$120

90.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$906 CA$1,281

172.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$965 CA$1,364

102.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,591 CA$2,250

196.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,656 CA$2,340

114.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$2,598 CA$3,673

182.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$1,865 CA$2,636

170.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$3,042 CA$4,300

106.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.77

43.61%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Fort McMurray: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Fort McMurray

$965 43% 50.7% $991

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Fort McMurray

$416 18.6% 23.2% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Fort McMurray

$300 13.4% 34.5% $158

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Fort McMurray

$310 13.8% 24.1% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Fort McMurray

$119 5.3% 37.2% $70

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Fort McMurray

$64 2.9% 51.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Fort McMurray

$68 3% 40.1% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $906 in Fort McMurray. 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 107% 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 $56.0 in Fort McMurray. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $416 – making Fort McMurray the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Fort McMurray

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

66,573

💱 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 Fort McMurray 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Fort McMurray: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA, $2,242 in Fort McMurray – roughly 70% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $3,362 in Fort McMurray. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fort McMurray, 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 $2,242 in Fort McMurray. That's a gap of about 70%.

Public transport costs about 123% less in Fort McMurray. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Fort McMurray, where all-in costs run around $2,242, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In Fort McMurray it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Seattle, WA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,242 in Fort McMurray to $3,800 in Seattle, WA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Fort McMurray. 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.