Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Guadalupe

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalupe: $1,594 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Seattle, WA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,800
/mo nomad
Guadalupe
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,594 in Guadalupe, rent included.

  • Seattle, WA $3,800
  • Guadalupe $1,594

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,489 in Guadalupe, rent included.

  • Seattle, WA $5,702
  • Guadalupe $2,489

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,383 in Guadalupe, rent included.

  • Seattle, WA $7,603
  • Guadalupe $3,383

Seattle, WA costs about 138% more than Guadalupe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seattle, WA and Guadalupe sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Guadalupe by 18%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.32 $25.32
$10.85 ₡4,865
133.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 $101
$33.22 ₡14.9K
205.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.85 $14.85
$8.74 ₡3,919
69.91%
Cappuccino
$6.59 $6.59
$3.30 ₡1,481
99.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 $3.22
$2.24 ₡1,005
43.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 $3.14
$1.92 ₡862
63.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.18 $8.18
$3.36 ₡1,505
143.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.03 $8.03
$4.48 ₡2,009
79.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 $1.21
$2.23 ₡1,000
-45.74%
White Bread (500g)
$5.12 $5.12
$3.07 ₡1,379
66.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.30 $6.30
$2.41 ₡1,079
161.41%
Eggs
$4.90 $4.90
$3.54 ₡1,588
38.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.10 $19.10
$9.62 ₡4,316
98.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$18.50 $18.50
$10.09 ₡4,527
83.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.03 $23.03
$13.77 ₡6,177
67.25%
Apples (1kg)
$5.81 $5.81
$5.24 ₡2,350
10.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.62 ₡729
20.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.29 $5.29
$4.74 ₡2,126
11.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.48 $6.48
$3.85 ₡1,727
68.31%
Potato (1kg)
$3.57 $3.57
$3.86 ₡1,730
-7.51%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 $3.15
$3.58 ₡1,606
-12.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 $2.85
$1.13 ₡507
152.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$3.22 ₡1,446
-24.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.75 $12.75
$4.29 ₡1,922
197.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.99 $14.99
$19.92 ₡8,935
-24.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.17 $4.17
$2.77 ₡1,241
50.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.99 $5.99
$3.70 ₡1,661
61.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.04 $3.04
$1.27 ₡568
139.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$110 $110
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.55 $2.55
$2.03 ₡911
25.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 $1.64
$1.64 ₡733
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.58 $29.58
$8.75 ₡3,923
238.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.46 ₡656
-2.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K $35.7K
$22.2K ₡10.0M
60.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K $25.6K
$35.1K ₡15.8M
-27.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$299 $299
$36.06 ₡16.2K
729.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$70.8 $70.8
$26.07 ₡11.7K
171.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$88.3 $88.3
$54.7 ₡24.5K
61.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$79.5 $79.5
$71.6 ₡32.1K
11.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.37 $35.37
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.12 $17.12
$7.82 ₡3,506
118.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,013 $3,013
$982 ₡440.4K
206.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.6K $31.6K
$17.2K ₡7.7M
84.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.2 $77.2
$70.7 ₡31.7K
9.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.1 $55.1
$44.20 ₡19.8K
24.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 $126
$129 ₡57.9K
-2.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 $163
$99.8 ₡44.7K
63.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,464 $2,464
$795 ₡356.5K
210.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,956 $1,956
$630 ₡282.6K
210.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,711 $4,711
$1,902 ₡853.1K
147.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,550 $3,550
$1,243 ₡557.7K
185.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,346 $7,346
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,048 $5,048
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seattle, WA
Guadalupe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,286 $6,286
$1,209 ₡542.1K
419.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.85
8.62
-20.53%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Guadalupe: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
$2K
Guadalupe
$630 67.8% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
$542
Guadalupe
$395 27.1% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
$458
Guadalupe
$117 74.5% $341
Eating Out
Seattle, WA
$409
Guadalupe
$195 52.3% $214
Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
$189
Guadalupe
$155 18.2% $35
Getting Around
Seattle, WA
$133
Guadalupe
$15 * 88.5% $118
Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
$114
Guadalupe
$87 23.3% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $795 in Guadalupe. 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 420% 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 $33.00 in Guadalupe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $395 – making Guadalupe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Seattle, WA
🇨🇷 Guadalupe
🕒 Local time
06:20 6:20 AM
07:20 7:20 AM
1 h ahead of Seattle, WA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
737,015
23,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seattle, WA Guadalupe 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seattle, WA
  • Guadalupe

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 Guadalupe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Seattle, WA and in Guadalupe compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA, $1,594 in Guadalupe – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Seattle, WA compared to Guadalupe?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $2,391 in Guadalupe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Seattle, WA and Guadalupe?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Guadalupe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Seattle, WA and $33.00 in Guadalupe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 37% more in Seattle, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guadalupe, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In Guadalupe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Seattle, WA and Guadalupe?
It depends on your priorities. Seattle, WA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Guadalupe to $3,800 in Seattle, WA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Seattle, WA or Guadalupe safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Seattle, WA and Guadalupe?
If budget matters most, go with Guadalupe. 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.

Seattle, WA vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?