Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Medicine Hat

For one person, living is cheaper in Medicine Hat: $1,806 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Medicine Hat
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Medicine Hat Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Medicine Hat

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Medicine Hat

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,806 in Medicine Hat, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Medicine Hat $1,806

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,707 in Medicine Hat, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Medicine Hat $2,707

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,608 in Medicine Hat, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Medicine Hat $3,608

Seattle, WA costs about 110% more than Medicine Hat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Medicine Hat sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Medicine Hat by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$14.42 CA$20.39

75.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$70.9 CA$100

43.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$9.84 CA$13.91

50.91%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.65 CA$5.16

80.55%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.91 CA$2.70

68.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.74 CA$2.46

80.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$4.87 CA$6.88

67.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.81 CA$5.39

110.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.52 CA$2.14

-20.39%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$1.73 CA$2.45

195.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$3.41 CA$4.82

84.75%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.04 CA$4.30

61.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$9.36 CA$13.23

104.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$10.75 CA$15.19

72.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$12.84 CA$18.15

79.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.16 CA$4.47

83.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.45 CA$2.05

34.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.87 CA$4.06

84.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$3.57 CA$5.05

81.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.63 CA$3.71

35.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.46 CA$2.07

115.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.62 CA$3.71

8.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.54 CA$2.17

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$11.29 CA$15.96

12.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$12.62 CA$17.84

18.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.45 CA$3.46

70.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.14 CA$4.44

90.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.25 CA$3.18

35.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$49.74 CA$70.3

121.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.22 CA$4.56

-20.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.33 CA$1.88

23.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$27.09 CA$38.30

9.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.00 CA$1.42

42.00%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.7K CA$39.2K

28.99%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$18.5K CA$26.2K

37.86%

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

$299 $299

$163 CA$231

83.33%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$38.36 CA$54.2

84.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$50.9 CA$71.9

73.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$53.1 CA$75.1

49.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$35.70 CA$50.5

-0.92%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$13.95 CA$19.72

22.72%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$782 CA$1,105

285.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$15.6K CA$22.0K

103.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$50.9 CA$72.0

51.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$26.16 CA$36.98

110.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$66.9 CA$94.6

87.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$65.9 CA$93.2

146.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$800 CA$1,131

207.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$759 CA$1,073

157.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,338 CA$1,891

252.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,226 CA$1,733

189.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$1,314 CA$1,858

458.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$1,905 CA$2,693

165.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$2,951 CA$4,171

113.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.51

51.88%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medicine Hat: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Medicine Hat

$759 42% 61.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Medicine Hat

$316 17.5% 41.7% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Medicine Hat

$252 14% 44.9% $206

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Medicine Hat

$235 13% 42.4% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Medicine Hat

$94 5.2% 50.1% $95

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Medicine Hat

$69 3.8% 48.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Medicine Hat

$81 4.5% 28.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $800 in Medicine Hat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 113% higher in Seattle, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Seattle, WA versus $71.0 in Medicine Hat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $316 – making Medicine Hat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Medicine Hat

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

56,997

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Medicine Hat 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Medicine Hat

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 Medicine Hat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA costs about 110% more than Medicine Hat, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $2,710 in Medicine Hat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medicine Hat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,800 in Seattle, WA and $1,806 in Medicine Hat. That's a gap of about 110%.

Public transport costs about 121% less in Medicine Hat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Medicine Hat, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In Medicine Hat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medicine Hat costs $1,806 versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medicine Hat. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.