Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Fort St John, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort St John, BC: $1,947 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

182

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,762

/mo nomad

Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Fort St John, BC

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 St John, BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,762 in Seattle, WA versus $1,947 in Fort St John, BC.

Seattle, WA $3,762
Fort St John, BC $1,947

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,651 in Seattle, WA versus $3,028 in Fort St John, BC.

Seattle, WA $5,651
Fort St John, BC $3,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,541 in Seattle, WA versus $4,108 in Fort St John, BC.

Seattle, WA $7,541
Fort St John, BC $4,108

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 93% more expensive than in Fort St John, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 178% above, Fort St John, BC 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 $23.80

$17.61 CA$24.77

35.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$43.03 CA$60.5

129.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.94 $14.94

$9.41 CA$13.24

58.77%

Cappuccino

$6.79 $6.79

$3.94 CA$5.54

72.34%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$1.75 CA$2.46

84.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.23 CA$1.73

156.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$6.21 CA$8.73

32.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.51 CA$6.35

74.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$3.28 CA$4.62

-64.33%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.78 CA$3.91

90.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$3.81 CA$5.36

51.18%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$4.07 CA$5.72

20.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.25 $20.25

$12.18 CA$17.13

66.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$13.44 CA$18.90

33.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.35 $23.35

$18.91 CA$26.59

23.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$5.83 CA$8.19

1.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.68 CA$0.95

177.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$3.77 CA$5.31

41.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$3.49 CA$4.91

88.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.75 CA$3.87

23.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.91 CA$4.09

-1.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.17 CA$3.05

33.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.48 CA$3.48

-2.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$14.53 CA$20.43

-16.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$21.60 CA$30.38

-29.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.97 CA$6.99

-11.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$5.75 CA$8.09

2.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.44 CA$2.03

105.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$28.10 CA$39.51

288.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.70 $29.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.26 CA$1.77

19.84%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

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

$25.7K $25.7K

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

$289 $289

$128 CA$180

125.73%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$98.6 CA$139

-29.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 $84.8

$61.2 CA$86.0

38.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 $69.4

$13.85 CA$19.48

401.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.05 $35.05

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 $17.97

$10.66 CA$15.00

68.57%

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

$2,819 $2,819

$706 CA$993

299.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.9K $43.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 $91.2

$71.8 CA$101

26.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$47.77 CA$67.2

15.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$109 CA$153

16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 $162

$141 CA$199

14.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$727 CA$1,022

254.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,943 $1,943

$705 CA$992

175.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,100 $5,100

$1,559 CA$2,192

227.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,541 $3,541

$1,442 CA$2,028

145.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,357 $7,357

$1,312 CA$1,845

460.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,921 $4,921

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,448 $6,448

$3,052 CA$4,293

111.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

6.1

11.48%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fort St John, BC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.6%

Fort St John, BC

$705 36.2% 63.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$544 14.5%

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1% 17.2% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$443 11.8%

Fort St John, BC

$288 14.8% 35% $155

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$399 10.6%

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8% 32.7% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$196 5.2%

Fort St John, BC

$166 8.5% 15.1% $30

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Fort St John, BC

$34 * 1.7% 74.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$105 2.8%

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8% 66.6% $70

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 $2,579 in Seattle, WA and $727 in Fort St John, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Seattle, WA vs $43 in Fort St John, BC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $544 vs $450 per month, with Fort St John, BC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

18,609

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Fort St John, BC 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min 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 St John, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 2.1 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: $2,579 in Seattle, WA versus $727 in Fort St John, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fort St John, BC – a meal for two runs $43 versus $99 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,762 per month in Seattle, WA versus $1,947 in Fort St John, BC – Fort St John, BC is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,947 in Fort St John, BC versus $3,762 in Seattle, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fort St John, BC but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Fort St John, BC 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.

Expats usually find Fort St John, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.