Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Jacksonville, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacksonville, NC: $2,554 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Jacksonville, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,785 in Seattle, WA versus $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC.

Seattle, WA $3,785
Jacksonville, NC $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,688 in Seattle, WA versus $3,595 in Jacksonville, NC.

Seattle, WA $5,688
Jacksonville, NC $3,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,592 in Seattle, WA versus $4,637 in Jacksonville, NC.

Seattle, WA $7,592
Jacksonville, NC $4,637

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 48% more expensive than in Jacksonville, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 178% above, Jacksonville, NC 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.30 $25.30

$15.57 $15.57

62.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$58.9 $58.9

71.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.76 $14.76

$9.89 $9.89

49.24%

Cappuccino

$6.50 $6.50

$4.81 $4.81

35.14%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$2.56 $2.56

25.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.97 $1.97

59.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.94 $4.94

61.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$7.06 $7.06

15.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$4.21 $4.21

25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$11.08 $11.08

-42.24%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$6.04 $6.04

-16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$19.50 $19.50

-4.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.72 $18.72

$17.09 $17.09

9.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.88 $22.88

$24.53 $24.53

-6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$5.87 $5.87

3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.86 $1.86

4.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$8.23 $8.23

-33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$6.17 $6.17

5.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$6.88 $6.88

-49.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$4.00 $4.00

-17.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.77 $2.77

1.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.04 $2.04

26.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 $12.49

$8.96 $8.96

39.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$15.02 $15.02

-1.00%

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

$3.96 $3.96

46.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.53 $1.53

99.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

$90.4 $90.4

17.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.54 $2.54

1.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.12 $30.12

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$0.91 $0.91

54.95%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$27.4K $27.4K

34.42%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$25.7K $25.7K

3.46%

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

$308 $308

$174 $174

76.81%

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

$69.2 $69.2

$76.0 $76.0

-9.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 $86.1

$71.2 $71.2

20.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.5 $76.5

$31.20 $31.20

145.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

$1.71 $1.71

1976.02%

Cinema Ticket

$18.02 $18.02

$15.59 $15.59

15.59%

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

$2,746 $2,746

$796 $796

245.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 $79.2

$60.9 $60.9

29.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 $54.3

$39.56 $39.56

37.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$103 $103

23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$138 $138

14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 $2,508

$1,384 $1,384

81.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

$1,094 $1,094

77.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,117 $5,117

$1,809 $1,809

182.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,542 $3,542

$1,451 $1,451

144.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,374 $7,374

$2,049 $2,049

259.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,002 $5,002

$1,833 $1,833

172.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,470 $6,470

$2,208 $2,208

193.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.37

8.16%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2%

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 42.8% 43.6% $845

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5%

Jacksonville, NC

$555 21.7% 1.5% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2%

Jacksonville, NC

$321 12.6% 30.6% $142

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7%

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.5% 33.8% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6% 18.5% $35

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Jacksonville, NC

$99 * 3.9% 23.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$112 3%

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.4% 44.6% $50

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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $59 in Jacksonville, NC. Groceries flip the comparison at $547 vs $555, with Seattle, WA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

949,611

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Seattle, WA Jacksonville, NC 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
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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 Jacksonville, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,785 in Seattle, WA and $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, so Jacksonville, NC is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 2.9 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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,746 in Seattle, WA versus $796 in Jacksonville, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jacksonville, NC – a meal for two runs $59 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Jacksonville, NC but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Jacksonville, NC 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 – Jacksonville, NC wins on affordability, Seattle, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.