Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and North Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in North Vancouver: $2,792 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
134

Cost of Living Index in North Vancouver
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North Vancouver Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,762

/mo nomad

North Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in North Vancouver

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,762 in Seattle, WA versus $2,792 in North Vancouver.

Seattle, WA $3,762
North Vancouver $2,792

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,651 in Seattle, WA versus $4,190 in North Vancouver.

Seattle, WA $5,651
North Vancouver $4,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,541 in Seattle, WA versus $5,588 in North Vancouver.

Seattle, WA $7,541
North Vancouver $5,588

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 35% more expensive than in North Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 178% above, North Vancouver 107% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 $23.80

$21.53 CA$30.28

10.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$64.6 CA$90.8

52.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.94 $14.94

$9.20 CA$12.93

62.39%

Cappuccino

$6.79 $6.79

$4.34 CA$6.10

56.45%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.26 CA$3.17

42.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.72 CA$2.42

83.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$4.94 CA$6.94

66.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$6.22 CA$8.75

26.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.00 CA$2.82

-41.50%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.89 CA$4.07

83.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$3.39 CA$4.77

69.91%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$3.14 CA$4.42

55.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.25 $20.25

$13.91 CA$19.56

45.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$14.01 CA$19.70

28.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.35 $23.35

$15.65 CA$22.00

49.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$4.17 CA$5.86

42.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.42 CA$1.99

33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$4.38 CA$6.16

22.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$4.18 CA$5.88

57.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.91 CA$4.10

16.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.84 CA$4.00

1.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.80 CA$3.94

3.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.12 CA$2.98

14.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$14.32 CA$20.14

-14.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$14.15 CA$19.90

7.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.15 CA$3.02

103.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.80 CA$3.93

110.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.57 CA$3.62

15.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$102 CA$144

6.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.70 CA$3.80

-6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.52 CA$2.14

13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.70 $29.70

$27.60 CA$38.82

7.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.28 CA$1.80

17.97%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$28.0K CA$39.4K

29.03%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$20.8K CA$29.2K

23.66%

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

$289 $289

$128 CA$180

125.16%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$37.76 CA$53.1

82.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 $84.8

$48.56 CA$68.3

74.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 $69.4

$27.51 CA$38.69

152.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.05 $35.05

$24.73 CA$34.78

41.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 $17.97

$12.29 CA$17.29

46.22%

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

$2,819 $2,819

$1,049 CA$1,475

168.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.9K $43.9K

$13.0K CA$18.3K

237.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 $91.2

$65.1 CA$91.5

40.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$38.80 CA$54.6

41.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$82.3 CA$116

54.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 $162

$111 CA$156

46.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$1,976 CA$2,779

30.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,943 $1,943

$1,567 CA$2,203

23.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,100 $5,100

$3,383 CA$4,757

50.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,541 $3,541

$2,800 CA$3,938

26.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,357 $7,357

$8,282 CA$11.6K

-11.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,921 $4,921

$5,889 CA$8,282

-16.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,448 $6,448

$3,142 CA$4,419

105.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

4.69

44.99%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for North Vancouver: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.6%

North Vancouver

$1.6K 56.1% 19.3% $376

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$544 14.5%

North Vancouver

$397 14.2% 26.9% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$443 11.8%

North Vancouver

$215 7.7% 51.5% $228

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$399 10.6%

North Vancouver

$305 10.9% 23.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$196 5.2%

North Vancouver

$134 4.8% 31.8% $62

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

North Vancouver

$123 4.4% 7.1% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$105 2.8%

North Vancouver

$52 1.9% 50.6% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,579 in Seattle, WA and $1,976 in North Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Seattle, WA vs $65 in North Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $544 vs $397 per month, with North Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 North Vancouver

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

48,200

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seattle, WA vs North Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,762 in Seattle, WA and $2,792 in North Vancouver, so North Vancouver is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 2.1 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 $1,976 in North Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in North Vancouver – a meal for two runs $65 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 $2,792 in North Vancouver – North Vancouver is about 26% 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 North Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.