Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Lazaro Cardenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas: $1,141 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $31,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Lazaro Cardenas
Learn more

Lazaro Cardenas Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Lazaro Cardenas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Lazaro Cardenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Lazaro Cardenas $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $1,839 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Lazaro Cardenas $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $2,537 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Lazaro Cardenas $2,537

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 232% more expensive than in Lazaro Cardenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 179% above, Lazaro Cardenas is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$10.83 MX$203

126.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$43.66 MX$817

124.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$8.70 MX$163

70.00%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$3.61 MX$67.6

80.61%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$1.42 MX$26.59

127.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.03 MX$19.24

207.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$2.51 MX$46.92

212.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.99 MX$74.7

101.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.66 MX$31.06

-27.11%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.53 MX$47.41

103.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$1.67 MX$31.19

262.28%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$2.43 MX$45.51

100.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$8.19 MX$153

134.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$8.49 MX$159

122.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$11.33 MX$212

105.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.67 MX$49.98

124.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.59 MX$29.74

21.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$1.90 MX$35.65

176.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$1.83 MX$34.27

259.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.93 MX$36.05

87.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.80 MX$33.61

83.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.48 MX$27.75

87.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.08 MX$20.23

132.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.32 MX$80.8

181.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$10.32 MX$193

43.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.76 MX$32.88

139.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.20 MX$59.8

80.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.69 MX$12.92

327.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.53 MX$47.26

4.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.92 MX$35.92

-10.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$11.01 MX$206

169.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.48 MX$27.62

0.68%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.1K MX$395.7K

69.79%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.8K MX$445.7K

10.22%

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

$302 $302

$58.7 MX$1,099

414.03%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$22.31 MX$417

214.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$29.94 MX$560

184.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$34.30 MX$642

126.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

$20.49 MX$384

68.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$5.11 MX$95.7

249.12%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$221 MX$4,141

1243.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$4,553 MX$85.2K

587.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$55.3 MX$1,035

38.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$39.96 MX$748

35.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$99.7 MX$1,867

28.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$90.1 MX$1,687

82.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$602 MX$11.3K

306.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$393 MX$7,352

395.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,055 MX$19.8K

349.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$780 MX$14.6K

344.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$1,921 MX$36.0K

283.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

$1,169 MX$21.9K

338.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

$552 MX$10.3K

1078.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.3

-39.03%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Lazaro Cardenas

$393 34.4% 79.8% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Lazaro Cardenas

$263 23.1% 51.8% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Lazaro Cardenas

$111 9.7% 75.7% $346

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Lazaro Cardenas

$186 16.3% 53.4% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Lazaro Cardenas

$128 11.3% 32.6% $62

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Lazaro Cardenas

$15 * 1.3% 88.5% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Lazaro Cardenas

$45 3.9% 60.8% $69

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 $602 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Seattle, WA vs $44 in Lazaro Cardenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $263 per month, with Lazaro Cardenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Lazaro Cardenas

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

83,637

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seattle, WA Lazaro Cardenas 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Lazaro Cardenas

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 Lazaro Cardenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lazaro Cardenas wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lazaro Cardenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 12 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: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $602 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,973 in Seattle, WA versus $221 in Lazaro Cardenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas – a meal for two runs $44 versus $98 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lazaro Cardenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 – Lazaro Cardenas wins on affordability, Seattle, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.