Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,207 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,762

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,762 in Seattle, WA versus $1,207 in Nogales.

Seattle, WA $3,762
Nogales $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,651 in Seattle, WA versus $1,877 in Nogales.

Seattle, WA $5,651
Nogales $1,877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,541 in Seattle, WA versus $2,547 in Nogales.

Seattle, WA $7,541
Nogales $2,547

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 212% more expensive than in Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 178% above, Nogales is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 $23.80

$10.57 MX$199

125.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$43.20 MX$811

128.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.94 $14.94

$8.57 MX$161

74.33%

Cappuccino

$6.79 $6.79

$3.44 MX$64.6

97.38%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$1.35 MX$25.26

139.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.05 MX$19.67

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$2.46 MX$46.27

233.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.96 MX$74.5

98.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.60 MX$30.06

-26.88%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.54 MX$47.73

108.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$1.64 MX$30.83

251.22%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$2.48 MX$46.66

97.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.25 $20.25

$8.14 MX$153

148.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$8.37 MX$157

114.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.35 $23.35

$11.40 MX$214

104.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.68 MX$50.3

121.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.50 MX$28.19

26.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.92 MX$36.02

178.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$1.83 MX$34.42

259.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.94 MX$36.44

74.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.82 MX$34.21

58.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.38 MX$25.86

109.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.06 MX$19.89

129.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.28 MX$80.4

184.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$10.12 MX$190

50.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.71 MX$32.10

156.14%

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

$0.63 MX$11.77

369.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$29.70 MX$558

267.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.62 MX$49.18

-3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.99 MX$37.37

-13.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.70 $29.70

$10.94 MX$206

171.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.48 MX$27.73

2.03%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$23.6K MX$442.5K

53.57%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$441.4K

9.35%

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

$289 $289

$56.7 MX$1,066

408.90%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$22.57 MX$424

205.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 $84.8

$29.55 MX$555

187.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 $69.4

$32.41 MX$609

114.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.05 $35.05

$19.71 MX$370

77.83%

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 $17.97

$5.25 MX$98.6

242.29%

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

$2,819 $2,819

$218 MX$4,101

1190.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.9K $43.9K

$4,499 MX$84.5K

876.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 $91.2

$53.8 MX$1,010

69.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$39.92 MX$750

37.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$97.6 MX$1,833

30.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 $162

$87.3 MX$1,640

85.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$587 MX$11.0K

339.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,943 $1,943

$443 MX$8,324

338.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,100 $5,100

$1,029 MX$19.3K

395.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,541 $3,541

$760 MX$14.3K

365.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,357 $7,357

$1,910 MX$35.9K

285.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,921 $4,921

$1,136 MX$21.3K

333.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,448 $6,448

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 Nogales: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.6%

Nogales

$443 36.7% 77.2% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$544 14.5%

Nogales

$260 21.6% 52.1% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$443 11.8%

Nogales

$109 9% 75.4% $334

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$399 10.6%

Nogales

$181 15% 54.5% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$196 5.2%

Nogales

$125 10.4% 36% $71

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Nogales

$45 3.7% 66.1% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$105 2.8%

Nogales

$43 3.6% 59.3% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,579 in Seattle, WA and $587 in Nogales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $99 in Seattle, WA vs $43 in Nogales for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $544 vs $260 per month, with Nogales cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

261,137

💱 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 Nogales 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,762 in Seattle, WA and $1,207 in Nogales, so Nogales is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,642 in Seattle, WA and $1,810 in Nogales 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: $2,579 in Seattle, WA versus $587 in Nogales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nogales runs roughly 73% less than in Seattle, WA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,819 in Seattle, WA versus $218 in Nogales. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,207 in Nogales versus $3,762 in Seattle, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nogales but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Nogales the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Nogales gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.