Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and San Juan de Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto: $1,371 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $29,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Seattle, WA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,800
/mo nomad
San Juan de Pasto
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,371
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in San Juan de Pasto

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 San Juan de Pasto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto.

  • Seattle, WA $3,800
  • San Juan de Pasto $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $2,031 in San Juan de Pasto.

  • Seattle, WA $5,702
  • San Juan de Pasto $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $2,691 in San Juan de Pasto.

  • Seattle, WA $7,603
  • San Juan de Pasto $2,691

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 177% more expensive than in San Juan de Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 182% above, San Juan de Pasto 2% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.32 $25.32
$6.63 COP 21.0K
281.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 $101
$45.64 COP 144.7K
122.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.85 $14.85
$9.96 COP 31.6K
49.10%
Cappuccino
$6.59 $6.59
$2.57 COP 8,146
156.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 $3.22
$1.56 COP 4,948
106.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 $3.14
$0.86 COP 2,715
265.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.18 $8.18
$3.07 COP 9,733
166.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.03 $8.03
$4.05 COP 12.9K
98.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 $1.21
$1.43 COP 4,538
-15.38%
White Bread (500g)
$5.12 $5.12
$2.41 COP 7,629
112.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.30 $6.30
$1.83 COP 5,795
244.26%
Eggs
$4.90 $4.90
$3.33 COP 10.6K
47.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.10 $19.10
$7.27 COP 23.1K
162.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$18.50 $18.50
$11.06 COP 35.1K
67.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.03 $23.03
$13.41 COP 42.5K
71.74%
Apples (1kg)
$5.81 $5.81
$3.58 COP 11.3K
62.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.40 COP 4,426
39.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.29 $5.29
$2.01 COP 6,359
163.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.48 $6.48
$1.78 COP 5,640
264.04%
Potato (1kg)
$3.57 $3.57
$1.41 COP 4,481
153.19%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 $3.15
$1.27 COP 4,041
148.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 $2.85
$1.12 COP 3,566
154.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.12 COP 3,555
116.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.75 $12.75
$3.65 COP 11.6K
249.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.99 $14.99
$13.43 COP 42.6K
11.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.17 $4.17
$1.46 COP 4,635
185.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.99 $5.99
$2.73 COP 8,670
119.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.04 $3.04
$1.07 COP 3,390
184.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$110 $110
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.55 $2.55
$1.61 COP 5,102
58.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 $1.64
$2.39 COP 7,590
-31.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.58 $29.58
$9.04 COP 28.7K
227.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.19 COP 3,770
19.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K $35.7K
$22.6K COP 71.7M
58.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K $25.6K
$32.0K COP 101.4M
-20.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$299 $299
$124 COP 392.5K
141.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$70.8 $70.8
$13.01 COP 41.2K
444.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$88.3 $88.3
$29.19 COP 92.5K
202.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$79.5 $79.5
$42.67 COP 135.3K
86.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.37 $35.37
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.12 $17.12
$6.19 COP 19.6K
176.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,013 $3,013
$682 COP 2.2M
341.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.6K $31.6K
$6,774 COP 21.5M
366.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.2 $77.2
$91.0 COP 288.5K
-15.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.1 $55.1
$61.1 COP 193.8K
-9.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 $126
$153 COP 486.6K
-18.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 $163
$102 COP 323.0K
59.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,464 $2,464
$706 COP 2.2M
249.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,956 $1,956
$518 COP 1.6M
277.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,711 $4,711
$1,082 COP 3.4M
335.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,550 $3,550
$789 COP 2.5M
350.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,346 $7,346
$2,028 COP 6.4M
262.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,048 $5,048
$1,580 COP 5.0M
219.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seattle, WA
San Juan de Pasto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,286 $6,286
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.85
11.58
-40.85%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seattle, WA
$2K
San Juan de Pasto
$518 73.5% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Seattle, WA
$542
San Juan de Pasto
$284 47.6% $258
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seattle, WA
$458
San Juan de Pasto
$166 63.8% $292
Eating Out
Seattle, WA
$409
San Juan de Pasto
$147 64% $262
Clothing & Footwear
Seattle, WA
$189
San Juan de Pasto
$183 3.1% $5.9
Getting Around
Seattle, WA
$133
San Juan de Pasto
$18 * 86.6% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Seattle, WA
$114
San Juan de Pasto
$55 51.6% $59

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 $706 in San Juan de Pasto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $46.00 in San Juan de Pasto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $284 per month, with San Juan de Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Seattle, WA
🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto
🕒 Local time
20:23 8:23 PM
22:23 10:23 PM
2 h ahead of Seattle, WA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
737,015
392,930
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seattle, WA San Juan de Pasto 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seattle, WA
  • San Juan de Pasto

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 San Juan de Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Seattle, WA or San Juan de Pasto?
San Juan de Pasto wins on cost – living expenses run 177% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Juan de Pasto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Seattle, WA and in San Juan de Pasto?
You'd need roughly $5,701 in Seattle, WA and $2,057 in San Juan de Pasto 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Seattle, WA compared to San Juan de Pasto?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $706 in San Juan de Pasto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Seattle, WA and in San Juan de Pasto?
Childcare runs $3,013 in Seattle, WA versus $682 in San Juan de Pasto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Seattle, WA and in San Juan de Pasto?
Dining out is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Seattle, WA or in San Juan de Pasto?
At $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Juan de Pasto but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan de Pasto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Seattle, WA or San Juan de Pasto?
Both work as nomad bases, but San Juan de Pasto delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,371 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Juan de Pasto hard to pass up.
How safe is Seattle, WA compared to San Juan de Pasto?
Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and San Juan de Pasto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find San Juan de Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 177% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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