Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Oakville

For one person, living is cheaper in Oakville: $2,636 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Oakville
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Oakville Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Oakville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $2,636 in Oakville.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Oakville $2,636

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $3,763 in Oakville.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Oakville $3,763

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $4,889 in Oakville.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Oakville $4,889

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 44% more expensive than in Oakville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 182% above, Oakville 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$14.19 CA$20.06

78.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$68.5 CA$96.9

48.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$8.86 CA$12.53

67.61%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.55 CA$5.02

85.63%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.04 CA$2.88

57.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.55 CA$2.19

102.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.76 CA$8.14

42.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$6.23 CA$8.80

28.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.61 CA$3.69

-53.64%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.90 CA$4.10

76.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$3.46 CA$4.89

82.08%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$4.20 CA$5.94

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$9.28 CA$13.13

105.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$10.31 CA$14.58

79.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$13.21 CA$18.67

74.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.41 CA$4.82

70.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.84 CA$2.60

5.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.50 CA$4.94

51.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$2.94 CA$4.16

120.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.50 CA$3.53

42.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.23 CA$4.56

-2.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.16 CA$3.05

31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.68 CA$2.37

44.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$13.98 CA$19.77

-8.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$12.77 CA$18.05

17.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.16 CA$4.47

31.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.50 CA$3.53

139.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.74 CA$3.88

10.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$95.5 CA$135

15.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.09 CA$1.54

30.28%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

31.01%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$18.4K CA$26.0K

39.04%

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

$299 $299

$93.9 CA$133

218.37%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$29.18 CA$41.26

142.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$47.49 CA$67.1

85.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$42.76 CA$60.5

85.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$8.95 CA$12.66

91.28%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$1,027 CA$1,451

193.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$17.6K CA$24.8K

80.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$67.3 CA$95.1

14.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$84.1 CA$119

-34.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$108 CA$153

16.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$107 CA$151

51.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,733 CA$2,450

42.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$1,545 CA$2,184

26.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$2,576 CA$3,642

82.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$2,361 CA$3,338

50.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$3,990 CA$5,640

84.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$6,863 CA$9,702

-26.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$3,141 CA$4,440

100.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

5.39

27.09%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Oakville: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Oakville

$1.5K 58.6% 21% $412

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Oakville

$351 13.3% 35.3% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Oakville

$171 6.5% 62.8% $288

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Oakville

$238 9% 41.7% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Oakville

$165 6.3% 12.8% $24

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Oakville

$106 * 4% 19.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Oakville

$61 2.3% 46.7% $53

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 $1,733 in Oakville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 100% 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 $69.0 in Oakville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $351 per month, with Oakville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Oakville

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

23:19 11:19 PM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

193,832

💱 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 →

On the map

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Seattle, WA Oakville 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Oakville

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 Oakville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oakville wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oakville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 100% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $1,733 in Oakville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Oakville runs roughly 15% less than in Seattle, WA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $3,013 in Seattle, WA versus $1,027 in Oakville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Oakville 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 Oakville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,636 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oakville hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Oakville are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Oakville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.