Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Manzanillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzanillo: $1,230 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $30,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Seattle, WA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,800
/mo nomad
Manzanillo
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,230
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $1,230 in Manzanillo.

  • Seattle, WA $3,800
  • Manzanillo $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $2,152 in Manzanillo.

  • Seattle, WA $5,702
  • Manzanillo $2,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $3,075 in Manzanillo.

  • Seattle, WA $7,603
  • Manzanillo $3,075

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 209% more expensive than in Manzanillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 182% above, Manzanillo is 9% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.32 $25.32
$11.10 MX$205
128.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 $101
$32.44 MX$599
212.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.85 $14.85
$10.83 MX$200
37.12%
Cappuccino
$6.59 $6.59
$3.58 MX$66.2
84.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 $3.22
$1.17 MX$21.59
175.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 $3.14
$1.17 MX$21.54
168.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.18 $8.18
$2.16 MX$40.00
278.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.03 $8.03
$4.39 MX$81.1
82.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 $1.21
$1.48 MX$27.40
-18.24%
White Bread (500g)
$5.12 $5.12
$2.60 MX$47.96
96.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.30 $6.30
$1.20 MX$22.26
425.00%
Eggs
$4.90 $4.90
$2.09 MX$38.64
134.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.10 $19.10
$8.28 MX$153
130.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$18.50 $18.50
$5.41 MX$100
241.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.03 $23.03
$9.93 MX$184
131.92%
Apples (1kg)
$5.81 $5.81
$2.93 MX$54.2
98.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.42 MX$26.31
37.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.29 $5.29
$1.78 MX$32.89
197.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.48 $6.48
$1.52 MX$28.14
326.32%
Potato (1kg)
$3.57 $3.57
$2.23 MX$41.12
60.09%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 $3.15
$1.69 MX$31.24
86.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 $2.85
$1.87 MX$34.57
52.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.20 MX$22.10
101.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.75 $12.75
$5.44 MX$100
134.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.99 $14.99
$6.62 MX$122
126.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.17 $4.17
$1.83 MX$33.77
127.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.99 $5.99
$2.52 MX$46.60
137.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.04 $3.04
$0.75 MX$13.90
305.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$110 $110
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.55 $2.55
$2.41 MX$44.55
5.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 $1.64
$2.43 MX$44.84
-32.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.58 $29.58
$9.40 MX$174
214.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.36 MX$25.17
4.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K $35.7K
$20.9K MX$386.6K
70.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K $25.6K
$24.4K MX$450.4K
4.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$299 $299
$65.5 MX$1,211
356.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$70.8 $70.8
$19.83 MX$367
257.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$88.3 $88.3
$29.37 MX$543
200.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$79.5 $79.5
$65.3 MX$1,206
21.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.37 $35.37
$33.01 MX$610
7.15%
Cinema Ticket
$17.12 $17.12
$4.46 MX$82.4
283.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,013 $3,013
$163 MX$3,016
1746.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.6K $31.6K
$7,172 MX$132.5K
341.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.2 $77.2
$43.02 MX$795
79.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.1 $55.1
$24.85 MX$459
121.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 $126
$75.6 MX$1,397
66.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 $163
$120 MX$2,213
35.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,464 $2,464
$684 MX$12.6K
260.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,956 $1,956
$479 MX$8,845
308.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,711 $4,711
$1,519 MX$28.1K
210.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,550 $3,550
$1,373 MX$25.4K
158.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,346 $7,346
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,048 $5,048
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seattle, WA
Manzanillo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,286 $6,286
$409 MX$7,563
1435.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.85
11.3
-39.38%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Manzanillo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
$2K
Manzanillo
$479 75.5% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
$542
Manzanillo
$233 57% $309
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
$458
Manzanillo
$115 75% $343
Eating Out
Seattle, WA
$409
Manzanillo
$193 52.7% $215
Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
$189
Manzanillo
$118 37.4% $71
Getting Around
Seattle, WA
$133
Manzanillo
$18 * 86.8% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
$114
Manzanillo
$74 34.8% $40

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 $2,464 in Seattle, WA and $684 in Manzanillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 1436% 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: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $32.00 in Manzanillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $233 per month, with Manzanillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Seattle, WA
🇲🇽 Manzanillo
🕒 Local time
19:30 7:30 PM
20:30 8:30 PM
1 h ahead of Seattle, WA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
737,015
159,853
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seattle, WA Manzanillo 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seattle, WA
  • Manzanillo

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 Manzanillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Seattle, WA and in Manzanillo?
Seattle, WA and Manzanillo differ by about 209% in total monthly costs ($3,800 vs $1,230 including rent). Manzanillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Seattle, WA or Manzanillo?
Average pay runs 1436% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Seattle, WA and in Manzanillo?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $684 in Manzanillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 133% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Seattle, WA or Manzanillo?
All in, you'll spend $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA versus $1,230 in Manzanillo – a 209% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,230 in Manzanillo versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Manzanillo but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Manzanillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Seattle, WA and Manzanillo?
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.
Where should expats move: Seattle, WA or Manzanillo?
Expats usually find Manzanillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Seattle, WA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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