Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and New Castle, DE

For one person, living is cheaper in New Castle, DE: $2,608 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
126

Cost of Living Index in New Castle, DE
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New Castle, DE Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

New Castle, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in New Castle, DE

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 New Castle, DE actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $2,608 in New Castle, DE.

Seattle, WA $3,782
New Castle, DE $2,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $3,741 in New Castle, DE.

Seattle, WA $5,636
New Castle, DE $3,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $4,873 in New Castle, DE.

Seattle, WA $7,489
New Castle, DE $4,873

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 45% more expensive than in New Castle, DE, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, New Castle, DE 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$17.86 $17.86

37.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$90.6 $90.6

8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$10.62 $10.62

39.27%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$5.39 $5.39

20.96%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$3.05 $3.05

5.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.99 $1.99

59.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$7.19 $7.19

9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$7.96 $7.96

0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.11 $1.11

9.01%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.10 $4.10

25.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.04 $4.04

49.75%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$4.94 $4.94

-1.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$13.05 $13.05

46.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$13.04 $13.04

45.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$18.16 $18.16

28.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$6.07 $6.07

-1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.50 $1.50

28.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$5.79 $5.79

-9.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$4.84 $4.84

35.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.72 $2.72

33.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.90 $2.90

14.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.45 $2.45

13.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.25 $2.25

11.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$13.22 $13.22

-7.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$15.69 $15.69

-5.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.64 $2.64

59.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.83 $3.83

50.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.73 $1.73

70.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.77 $1.77

49.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.39 $1.39

23.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$23.57 $23.57

26.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.07 $1.07

39.25%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$33.6K $33.6K

6.84%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

0.11%

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

$302 $302

$215 $215

40.16%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$66.6 $66.6

5.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$70.6 $70.6

20.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$41.62 $41.62

87.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$14.72 $14.72

21.20%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$1,982 $1,982

50.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$34.8K $34.8K

-10.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$51.8 $51.8

47.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$64.2 $64.2

-15.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$91.8 $91.8

39.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$110 $110

49.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$1,418 $1,418

72.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$1,278 $1,278

52.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$2,133 $2,133

122.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$1,881 $1,881

84.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$2,808 $2,808

162.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

$2,311 $2,311

121.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.72

2.53%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for New Castle, DE: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

New Castle, DE

$1.3K 49% 34.3% $668

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

New Castle, DE

$437 16.7% 20% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

New Castle, DE

$353 13.5% 22.9% $105

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

New Castle, DE

$311 11.9% 22.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

New Castle, DE

$143 5.5% 24.9% $47

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

New Castle, DE

$16 * 0.6% 87.9% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

New Castle, DE

$71 2.7% 37.4% $42

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 $1,418 in New Castle, DE. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $98.0 in Seattle, WA vs $91.0 in New Castle, DE for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $437 per month, with New Castle, DE cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 New Castle, DE

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

22:15 10:15 PM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

21,926

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Seattle, WA New Castle, DE 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
New Castle, DE

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 New Castle, DE: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Castle, DE wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making New Castle, DE the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $5,673 in Seattle, WA and $3,913 in New Castle, DE to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $1,418 in New Castle, DE. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,973 in Seattle, WA versus $1,982 in New Castle, DE. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in New Castle, DE – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $98.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. New Castle, DE is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but New Castle, DE delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes New Castle, DE hard to pass up.

Expats usually find New Castle, DE gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.