Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and San Pedro

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $1,707 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
Learn more

San Pedro Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in San Pedro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $1,707 in San Pedro.

Seattle, WA $3,800
San Pedro $1,707

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $2,825 in San Pedro.

Seattle, WA $5,702
San Pedro $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $3,943 in San Pedro.

Seattle, WA $7,603
San Pedro $3,943

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 123% more expensive than in San Pedro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 182% above, San Pedro 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$12.40 ₡5,563

104.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$62.5 ₡28.0K

62.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$11.85 ₡5,314

25.32%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$4.38 ₡1,964

50.46%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.73 ₡1,226

17.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.85 ₡829

69.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.27 ₡1,467

150.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.42 ₡1,984

81.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.39 ₡1,074

-49.37%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.04 ₡1,363

68.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$2.50 ₡1,123

152.00%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.48 ₡1,560

40.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$10.84 ₡4,862

76.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$10.52 ₡4,718

75.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$14.17 ₡6,355

62.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$5.11 ₡2,291

13.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.57 ₡705

24.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$4.80 ₡2,153

10.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$3.79 ₡1,699

70.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.86 ₡1,732

-7.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.73 ₡1,674

-15.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.09 ₡487

161.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.10 ₡1,388

-21.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$5.97 ₡2,677

113.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$19.99 ₡8,963

-25.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.75 ₡1,235

51.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.55 ₡1,590

68.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.47 ₡661

106.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.49 ₡1,119

2.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.56 ₡698

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$8.84 ₡3,964

234.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.51 ₡676

-5.96%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.7K ₡9.7M

64.95%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-28.19%

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

$299 $299

$94.6 ₡42.4K

215.94%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$35.67 ₡16.0K

98.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$60.3 ₡27.0K

46.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$69.6 ₡31.2K

14.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$7.62 ₡3,417

124.67%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$985 ₡441.6K

206.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$17.3K ₡7.8M

82.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$71.4 ₡32.0K

8.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$55.2 ₡24.8K

-0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$129 ₡57.9K

-2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$131 ₡58.9K

23.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$818 ₡366.9K

201.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$610 ₡273.6K

220.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,985 ₡890.2K

137.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,447 ₡649.1K

145.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

8.62

-20.53%

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 Pedro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

San Pedro

$610 35.7% 68.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

San Pedro

$400 23.5% 26.1% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

San Pedro

$191 11.2% 58.4% $268

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

San Pedro

$231 13.5% 43.5% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

San Pedro

$174 10.2% 8% $15

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

San Pedro

$16 * 1% 87.8% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

San Pedro

$85 5% 25.4% $29

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 $818 in San Pedro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $62.0 in San Pedro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $400 per month, with San Pedro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

27,477

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seattle, WA San Pedro 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
San Pedro

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 Pedro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pedro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 123% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,701 in Seattle, WA and $2,561 in San Pedro 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $818 in San Pedro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,013 in Seattle, WA versus $985 in San Pedro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Pedro – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,707 in San Pedro versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Pedro but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes San Pedro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Pedro 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 San Pedro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.