Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and San Rafael, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and San Rafael, CA

😐 Solo nomad: Seattle, WA is 4.4% more expensive than San Rafael, CA without rent, and 19% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Seattle, WA is 24.1% more expensive than San Rafael, CA without rent, and 13.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$22.73 $22.73

10.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$64.9 $64.9

82.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.84 $13.84

$11.05 $11.05

25.25%

Cappuccino

$5.8 $5.8

$5.77 $5.77

0.52%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.6 $2.6

13.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.56 $2.56

-1.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 $7.81

$5.94 $5.94

31.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 $7.84

$9.47 $9.47

-17.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.27 $1.27

5.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.96 $3.96

25.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$6.91 $6.91

-22.58%

Eggs

$6.91 $6.91

$4.54 $4.54

52.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.8 $24.8

$15.52 $15.52

59.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.74 $15.74

$12.85 $12.85

22.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 $20.84

$18.39 $18.39

13.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.98 $4.98

21.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.91 $2.91

-5.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$6.18 $6.18

-11.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$8.42 $8.42

-23.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.76 $3.76

-17.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.79 $3.79

-2.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.5 $2.5

11.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.96 $2.96

-14.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.64 $11.64

$10.81 $10.81

7.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.15 $17.15

$12.59 $12.59

36.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.1 $2.1

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.49 $3.49

20.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.8 $2.8

$1.53 $1.53

83.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 $101

$30.14 $30.14

234.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.59 $3.59

-25.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.13 $30.13

$28.66 $28.66

5.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.23 $1.23

-5.69%

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

$33.3K $33.3K

$27K $27K

23.58%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$27.1K $27.1K

-2.97%

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

$271 $271

$187 $187

45.21%

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

$61.8 $61.8

$51.3 $51.3

20.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$61.6 $61.6

21.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.4 $78.4

$247 $247

-68.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.04 $41.04

$39.9 $39.9

2.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.89 $15.89

$14.71 $14.71

8.02%

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

$2,248 $2,248

$1,967 $1,967

14.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29K $29K

$23.6K $23.6K

22.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 $69.5

$41.12 $41.12

69.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 $52.5

$37.89 $37.89

38.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$101 $101

17.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$122 $122

16.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,376 $2,376

$3,340 $3,340

-28.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 $1,829

$2,833 $2,833

-35.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,702 $4,702

$4,080 $4,080

15.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,474 $3,474

$3,280 $3,280

5.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,928 $6,928

$7,615 $7,615

-9.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,224 $5,224

$5,279 $5,279

-1.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,473 $6,473

$5,319 $5,319

21.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

6.32

1.58%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 29, 2025

Last update for San Rafael, CA: October 28, 2025

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