Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,891 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 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

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Santa Cruz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $1,891 in Santa Cruz.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Santa Cruz $1,891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $2,891 in Santa Cruz.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Santa Cruz $2,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $3,890 in Santa Cruz.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Santa Cruz $3,890

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 101% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 182% above, Santa Cruz 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

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

$3.22 $3.22

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.09 AWG 3.74

-42.11%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.71 AWG 4.85

88.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$4.52 AWG 8.08

39.38%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$4.64 AWG 8.31

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$7.92 AWG 14.17

141.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$7.65 AWG 13.69

141.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$6.48 AWG 11.60

255.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.54 AWG 8.13

27.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$4.36 AWG 7.81

-55.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$8.08 AWG 14.45

-34.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$6.60 AWG 11.80

-1.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$6.88 AWG 12.31

-48.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.91 AWG 3.42

64.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.03 AWG 5.43

-5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$4.37 AWG 7.82

-44.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$10.45 AWG 18.70

22.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$19.07 AWG 34.12

-21.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.56 AWG 4.57

62.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.10 AWG 5.55

93.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.92 AWG 3.43

58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$157 AWG 281

-30.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$19.50 AWG 34.89

-86.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$19.79 AWG 35.41

49.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

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

$35.7K $35.7K

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

$25.6K $25.6K

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

$299 $299

$140 AWG 251

113.27%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$71.4 AWG 128

-0.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$207 AWG 371

-57.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$70.2 AWG 126

13.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$46.90 AWG 83.9

-24.58%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$8.44 AWG 15.10

102.84%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$139 AWG 248

2072.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$77.2 AWG 138

0.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$111 AWG 198

-50.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$140 AWG 250

-10.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$139 AWG 248

17.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,271 AWG 2,274

93.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$565 AWG 1,010

246.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,532 AWG 2,742

207.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,389 AWG 2,485

155.65%

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

$3,638 AWG 6,511

72.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Santa Cruz

–

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Santa Cruz

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Santa Cruz

–

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Santa Cruz

–

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Santa Cruz

–

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Santa Cruz

–

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Santa Cruz

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,464 in Seattle, WA and $1,271 in Santa Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 73% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

01:00 1:00 AM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

15,236

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

AWG to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Santa Cruz 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Seattle, WA
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Santa Cruz differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($3,800 vs $1,891 including rent). Santa Cruz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% 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 $1,271 in Santa Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,013 in Seattle, WA versus $139 in Santa Cruz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz runs roughly 43% less than in Seattle, WA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,891 in Santa Cruz versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Santa Cruz are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.