Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,447 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Jaco Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $1,447 in Jaco Beach.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Jaco Beach $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $2,313 in Jaco Beach.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Jaco Beach $2,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $3,180 in Jaco Beach.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Jaco Beach $3,180

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 161% more expensive than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Jaco Beach 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$11.77 ₡5,278

108.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$43.49 ₡19.5K

125.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$10.05 ₡4,505

47.16%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$3.94 ₡1,768

65.48%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.38 ₡1,065

35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.86 ₡833

70.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.29 ₡1,475

138.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.33 ₡1,943

85.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.90 ₡853

-36.32%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.22 ₡997

131.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$2.43 ₡1,092

148.97%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$2.61 ₡1,171

86.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$10.62 ₡4,764

80.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$9.19 ₡4,123

105.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$11.90 ₡5,338

95.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$5.08 ₡2,278

17.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.66 ₡742

16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$4.53 ₡2,033

15.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$3.54 ₡1,590

85.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.56 ₡701

132.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.42 ₡637

133.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.01 ₡454

175.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.99 ₡894

26.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$5.79 ₡2,598

110.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$14.20 ₡6,366

4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.65 ₡1,188

59.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.26 ₡1,012

155.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.42 ₡1,087

9.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.55 ₡696

10.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$8.91 ₡3,994

233.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.55 ₡696

-3.87%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$34.1K ₡15.3M

5.15%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$41.6K ₡18.7M

-36.95%

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

$302 $302

$80.2 ₡36.0K

276.22%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$24.70 ₡11.1K

183.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$46.61 ₡20.9K

82.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$53.3 ₡23.9K

46.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$7.57 ₡3,395

135.67%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$492 ₡220.8K

503.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$7,283 ₡3.3M

329.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$24.70 ₡11.1K

209.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$57.2 ₡25.6K

-5.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$131 ₡58.8K

-2.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$133 ₡59.5K

23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$766 ₡343.4K

219.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$520 ₡233.2K

274.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,987 ₡891.0K

138.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$1,113 ₡499.1K

211.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

$399 ₡178.8K

1532.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jaco Beach: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Jaco Beach

$520 35.9% 73.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Jaco Beach

$328 22.7% 39.9% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Jaco Beach

$152 10.5% 66.9% $306

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Jaco Beach

$214 14.8% 46.5% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Jaco Beach

$156 10.8% 18.2% $35

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Jaco Beach

$10 * 0.7% 92.1% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Jaco Beach

$68 4.7% 39.7% $45

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 $2,445 in Seattle, WA and $766 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 1532% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $98.0 in Seattle, WA vs $43.00 in Jaco Beach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $328 per month, with Jaco Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Jaco Beach 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Jaco Beach

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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 161% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1532% higher in Seattle, WA, 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: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $766 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,973 in Seattle, WA versus $492 in Jaco Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $98.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,447 in Jaco Beach versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jaco Beach but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Jaco Beach the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jaco Beach is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seattle, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Jaco Beach are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Jaco Beach gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.