Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Los Cabos

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Cabos: $1,428 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

182

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,762

/mo nomad

Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Los Cabos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,762 in Seattle, WA versus $1,428 in Los Cabos.

Seattle, WA $3,762
Los Cabos $1,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,651 in Seattle, WA versus $2,242 in Los Cabos.

Seattle, WA $5,651
Los Cabos $2,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,541 in Seattle, WA versus $3,056 in Los Cabos.

Seattle, WA $7,541
Los Cabos $3,056

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 163% more expensive than in Los Cabos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 178% above, Los Cabos 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 $23.80

$21.85 MX$410

8.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$43.11 MX$810

128.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.94 $14.94

$13.70 MX$257

9.05%

Cappuccino

$6.79 $6.79

$4.97 MX$93.4

36.62%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.33 MX$43.79

38.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.05 MX$38.43

53.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$5.09 MX$95.7

61.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$7.91 MX$149

-0.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.57 MX$29.54

-25.48%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.87 MX$53.9

84.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.26 MX$42.53

154.87%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$2.40 MX$45.02

103.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.25 $20.25

$9.15 MX$172

121.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$9.26 MX$174

93.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.35 $23.35

$17.61 MX$331

32.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$4.14 MX$77.8

43.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.74 MX$32.69

8.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.77 MX$52.0

93.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$2.41 MX$45.24

172.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.29 MX$43.10

48.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.53 MX$47.46

13.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.25 MX$23.42

131.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.84 MX$15.71

189.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.34 MX$81.5

180.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$10.33 MX$194

47.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.58 MX$29.70

177.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$3.14 MX$58.9

87.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.32 MX$24.86

124.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$30.58 MX$574

257.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.59 MX$48.58

-2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.95 MX$36.62

-11.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.70 $29.70

$10.58 MX$199

180.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.35 MX$25.43

11.85%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$23.9K MX$449.0K

51.35%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.7K MX$444.9K

8.50%

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

$289 $289

$56.4 MX$1,058

412.42%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$26.64 MX$500

159.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 $84.8

$24.30 MX$456

249.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 $69.4

$32.29 MX$606

115.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.05 $35.05

$19.82 MX$372

76.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 $17.97

$4.40 MX$82.7

308.41%

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

$2,819 $2,819

$211 MX$3,969

1233.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.9K $43.9K

$4,437 MX$83.3K

889.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 $91.2

$92.7 MX$1,740

-1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$40.62 MX$763

35.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$121 MX$2,274

4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 $162

$87.2 MX$1,637

85.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$585 MX$11.0K

341.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,943 $1,943

$438 MX$8,226

343.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,100 $5,100

$1,020 MX$19.2K

400.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,541 $3,541

$768 MX$14.4K

360.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,357 $7,357

$1,923 MX$36.1K

282.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,921 $4,921

$1,127 MX$21.2K

336.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,448 $6,448

$813 MX$15.3K

692.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.31

-39.88%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Los Cabos: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.6%

Los Cabos

$438 30.7% 77.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$544 14.5%

Los Cabos

$306 21.4% 43.8% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$443 11.8%

Los Cabos

$107 7.5% 75.8% $335

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$399 10.6%

Los Cabos

$334 23.4% 16.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$196 5.2%

Los Cabos

$154 10.8% 21.5% $42

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Los Cabos

$48 3.4% 63.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$105 2.8%

Los Cabos

$41 2.9% 61% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,579 in Seattle, WA and $585 in Los Cabos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Seattle, WA vs $43 in Los Cabos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $544 vs $306 per month, with Los Cabos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

202,694

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Los Cabos 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min 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 Los Cabos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Cabos is about 62% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 7.9 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: $2,579 in Seattle, WA versus $585 in Los Cabos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Los Cabos – a meal for two runs $43 versus $99 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,762 per month in Seattle, WA versus $1,428 in Los Cabos – Los Cabos is about 62% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Los Cabos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.