Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Peterborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Peterborough: $2,183 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Peterborough
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Peterborough Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Peterborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $2,183 in Peterborough.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Peterborough $2,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $3,165 in Peterborough.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Peterborough $3,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $4,148 in Peterborough.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Peterborough $4,148

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 74% more expensive than in Peterborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 182% above, Peterborough 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$12.97 CA$18.34

95.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$70.6 CA$99.8

43.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$10.42 CA$14.73

42.51%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.52 CA$4.98

87.22%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.67 CA$2.37

92.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.34 CA$1.89

134.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.75 CA$8.13

42.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$5.76 CA$8.14

39.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.44 CA$3.45

-50.41%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.38 CA$3.36

115.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$2.41 CA$3.40

161.41%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.04 CA$4.29

61.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$10.61 CA$15.00

80.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$11.16 CA$15.78

65.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$12.70 CA$17.96

81.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.36 CA$4.75

72.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.46 CA$2.07

33.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.35 CA$4.73

57.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$4.13 CA$5.83

56.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.65 CA$2.33

116.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.28 CA$3.22

38.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.32 CA$3.28

22.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.46 CA$2.06

65.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$11.39 CA$16.10

11.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$12.69 CA$17.95

18.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.28 CA$3.22

82.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$1.56 CA$2.21

283.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.25 CA$3.18

35.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$45.82 CA$64.8

140.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.92 CA$4.13

-12.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.26 CA$1.78

30.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$20.64 CA$29.18

43.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.14 CA$1.61

24.56%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.5K CA$38.9K

30.04%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$19.0K CA$26.8K

34.60%

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

$299 $299

$142 CA$200

111.27%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$34.77 CA$49.16

103.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$44.99 CA$63.6

96.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$43.93 CA$62.1

80.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$14.12 CA$19.97

150.50%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$11.14 CA$15.75

53.68%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$347 CA$491

768.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$10.4K CA$14.6K

205.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$42.26 CA$59.7

82.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$37.02 CA$52.3

48.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$85.0 CA$120

47.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$72.3 CA$102

125.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,390 CA$1,965

77.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$1,164 CA$1,646

68.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$2,066 CA$2,920

128.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,805 CA$2,552

96.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$6,470 CA$9,147

13.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$6,154 CA$8,700

-17.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$2,937 CA$4,152

114.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.55

50.55%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Peterborough: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Peterborough

$1.2K 53.3% 40.5% $792

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Peterborough

$331 15.2% 38.8% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Peterborough

$221 10.1% 51.7% $237

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Peterborough

$230 10.5% 43.8% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Peterborough

$106 4.9% 43.8% $83

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Peterborough

$64 2.9% 51.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Peterborough

$66 3% 41.8% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,464 in Seattle, WA and $1,390 in Peterborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 114% 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 $71.0 in Peterborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $331 per month, with Peterborough cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Peterborough

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

81,032

💱 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 →

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Seattle, WA Peterborough 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min 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 Peterborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Peterborough is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 114% 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 $1,390 in Peterborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Peterborough runs roughly 140% 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 $347 in Peterborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,183 in Peterborough versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Peterborough but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Peterborough the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Peterborough is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seattle, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Peterborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.