Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Guanacaste

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,548 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,548 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Guanacaste $1,548

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,428 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Guanacaste $2,428

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,309 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Guanacaste $3,309

Seattle, WA costs about 146% more than Guanacaste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Guanacaste sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Guanacaste by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$10.82 ₡4,860

134.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$48.68 ₡21.9K

108.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$11.68 ₡5,248

27.14%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$4.53 ₡2,036

45.47%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.75 ₡1,236

17.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.94 ₡872

61.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.16 ₡1,420

158.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.54 ₡2,041

76.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.00 ₡897

-39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.04 ₡1,366

68.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$2.43 ₡1,092

159.26%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.54 ₡1,591

38.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$5.44 ₡2,442

251.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$4.47 ₡2,006

313.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$10.84 ₡4,870

112.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.56 ₡1,149

126.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.64 ₡737

18.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$4.51 ₡2,026

17.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$1.56 ₡699

315.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.90 ₡1,753

-8.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.23 ₡1,004

41.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.85 ₡384

235.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.09 ₡1,389

-21.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$4.42 ₡1,988

188.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$20.31 ₡9,125

-26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.90 ₡1,302

43.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.66 ₡1,193

125.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.30 ₡583

133.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.45 ₡1,102

4.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.55 ₡698

5.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$8.80 ₡3,952

236.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.55 ₡696

-8.39%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

63.79%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.4K ₡15.9M

-27.87%

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

$299 $299

$96.5 ₡43.4K

209.92%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$36.34 ₡16.3K

94.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$32.76 ₡14.7K

169.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$72.0 ₡32.4K

10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$7.57 ₡3,401

126.16%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$974 ₡437.5K

209.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

81.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$65.6 ₡29.5K

17.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$43.46 ₡19.5K

26.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$88.9 ₡39.9K

41.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$76.9 ₡34.5K

111.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$812 ₡364.9K

203.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$625 ₡280.9K

212.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,920 ₡862.8K

145.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,264 ₡568.2K

180.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

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 Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Guanacaste

$625 40.4% 68% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Guanacaste

$311 20.1% 42.6% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Guanacaste

$166 10.7% 63.9% $293

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Guanacaste

$220 14.2% 46.3% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Guanacaste

$124 8% 34.7% $66

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Guanacaste

$15 * 1% 88.4% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Guanacaste

$87 5.6% 23.4% $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 $812 in Guanacaste. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Seattle, WA versus $49.00 in Guanacaste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $311 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

1,823

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Seattle, WA Guanacaste 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Guanacaste

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 Guanacaste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 146%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $2,321 in Guanacaste. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guanacaste, 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 $1,548 in Guanacaste. That's a gap of about 146%.

Kindergarten costs $3,013 per month in Seattle, WA and $974 in Guanacaste. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guanacaste, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In Guanacaste it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guanacaste – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Guanacaste. 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.