Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and San Rafael

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,732 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 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
84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,732 in San Rafael, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
San Rafael $1,732

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,736 in San Rafael, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
San Rafael $2,736

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,739 in San Rafael, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
San Rafael $3,739

Seattle, WA costs about 119% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seattle, WA and San Rafael sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, San Rafael by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$12.25 ₡5,496

106.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.7 ₡27.7K

64.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$11.42 ₡5,119

30.04%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$4.40 ₡1,973

49.77%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.73 ₡1,225

17.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.87 ₡841

67.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.37 ₡1,510

142.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.54 ₡2,038

76.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.33 ₡1,044

-48.07%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.02 ₡1,352

69.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$2.42 ₡1,084

160.33%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.52 ₡1,580

39.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$10.51 ₡4,712

81.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$10.25 ₡4,597

80.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$14.22 ₡6,378

61.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$5.09 ₡2,282

14.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.57 ₡704

24.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$4.68 ₡2,098

13.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$3.86 ₡1,730

67.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.88 ₡1,741

-7.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.69 ₡1,653

-14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.09 ₡488

161.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.13 ₡1,403

-22.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$6.11 ₡2,739

108.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$20.14 ₡9,031

-25.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.80 ₡1,254

48.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.58 ₡1,606

67.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.18 ₡527

157.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.51 ₡1,124

1.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.57 ₡703

4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$8.48 ₡3,803

248.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.54 ₡692

-7.79%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

60.14%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.5K ₡15.9M

-28.07%

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

$299 $299

$93.5 ₡41.9K

219.87%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$36.26 ₡16.3K

95.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$58.4 ₡26.2K

51.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$63.0 ₡28.3K

26.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$7.50 ₡3,362

128.27%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$991 ₡444.6K

203.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$16.8K ₡7.5M

88.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$70.5 ₡31.6K

9.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$55.6 ₡25.0K

-0.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$129 ₡58.0K

-2.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$133 ₡59.5K

22.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$740 ₡332.0K

232.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$649 ₡291.2K

201.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$2,069 ₡927.9K

127.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,274 ₡571.5K

178.54%

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 Rafael: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

San Rafael

$649 37.5% 66.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

San Rafael

$398 23% 26.5% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

San Rafael

$188 10.9% 58.9% $270

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

San Rafael

$229 13.2% 43.8% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

San Rafael

$175 10.1% 7.8% $15

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9% 88.7% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

San Rafael

$78 4.5% 31.4% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $740 in San Rafael. 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 $101 in Seattle, WA versus $62.0 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $398 – making San Rafael the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

30,000

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

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Between locations

Seattle, WA San Rafael 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA, $1,732 in San Rafael – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $2,599 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Seattle, WA and $62.0 in San Rafael. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Seattle, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,732, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In San Rafael it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Seattle, WA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,732 in San Rafael to $3,800 in Seattle, WA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Rafael. 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.