Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,328 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $3,782 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,328 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Perez Zeledon $1,328

A couple spends around $5,636 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,371 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Perez Zeledon $2,371

A family of three spends $7,489 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,414 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Perez Zeledon $3,414

Seattle, WA costs about 185% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Seattle, WA sits 179% above the global median, while Perez Zeledon is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$9.34 ₡4,188

162.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$36.62 ₡16.4K

168.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$8.23 ₡3,689

79.71%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$2.70 ₡1,210

141.48%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$1.96 ₡880

64.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.71 ₡766

85.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$1.79 ₡804

338.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.08 ₡1,380

160.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.64 ₡735

-26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.03 ₡1,357

69.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$2.47 ₡1,109

144.94%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$2.48 ₡1,113

96.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$10.62 ₡4,763

80.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$10.36 ₡4,646

82.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$13.82 ₡6,196

68.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$4.99 ₡2,238

20.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.08 ₡483

78.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$4.85 ₡2,174

8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$3.96 ₡1,777

65.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.86 ₡1,730

-6.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.78 ₡1,693

-12.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.46 ₡205

504.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.21 ₡1,441

-21.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$5.76 ₡2,582

111.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$19.78 ₡8,870

-25.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.77 ₡1,240

52.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.50 ₡1,572

64.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.77 ₡344

283.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.51 ₡1,125

5.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.61 ₡720

6.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$8.81 ₡3,952

237.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.54 ₡689

-3.25%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

60.89%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.8K ₡15.6M

-24.50%

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

$302 $302

$92.9 ₡41.7K

224.94%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$23.91 ₡10.7K

193.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$58.7 ₡26.3K

45.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$72.4 ₡32.5K

7.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$7.46 ₡3,346

139.14%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$508 ₡227.7K

485.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

85.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$72.9 ₡32.7K

5.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$56.8 ₡25.5K

-4.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$129 ₡58.0K

-0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$130 ₡58.1K

26.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$401 ₡180.0K

509.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$333 ₡149.4K

484.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,898 ₡851.1K

149.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$1,258 ₡564.0K

175.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1% 82.9% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8% 30% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2% 61.6% $282

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2% 59.6% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2% 8.1% $15

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1% 89.5% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6% 23.1% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $401 in Perez Zeledon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Seattle, WA versus $37.00 in Perez Zeledon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $382 – making Perez Zeledon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

135,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Seattle, WA Perez Zeledon 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Perez Zeledon

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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 185%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,673 per month in Seattle, WA and $1,992 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, 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 $3,782 in Seattle, WA and $1,328 in Perez Zeledon. That's a gap of about 185%.

Kindergarten costs $2,973 per month in Seattle, WA and $508 in Perez Zeledon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Seattle, WA at $3,782. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Perez Zeledon. 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.