Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $676 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $36,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$676

/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.

A single person spends $3,744 per month in Seattle, WA vs $676 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Santa Cruz $676

A couple spends around $5,703 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,255 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Santa Cruz $1,255

A family of three spends $7,661 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,834 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Santa Cruz $1,834

Seattle, WA costs about 454% more than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seattle, WA sits 179% above the global median, while Santa Cruz is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$2.08 BOB 24.47

1080.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$17.80 BOB 209

458.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$5.59 BOB 65.8

173.70%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$1.89 BOB 22.26

250.26%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$0.53 BOB 6.24

513.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$0.43 BOB 5.03

623.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$0.98 BOB 11.57

692.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$1.34 BOB 15.81

491.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$0.82 BOB 9.63

47.56%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.06 BOB 12.44

366.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$1.09 BOB 12.84

466.06%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$1.13 BOB 13.27

338.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$3.43 BOB 40.41

453.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$2.77 BOB 32.58

574.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$5.29 BOB 62.3

337.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$1.89 BOB 22.26

213.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.68 BOB 7.99

185.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$0.80 BOB 9.47

548.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$0.78 BOB 9.14

739.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$0.74 BOB 8.73

389.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$0.70 BOB 8.19

351.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.64 BOB 7.51

354.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.73 BOB 8.57

226.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$2.07 BOB 24.40

497.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$4.44 BOB 52.2

238.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.15 BOB 13.56

273.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$1.66 BOB 19.54

242.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.28 BOB 3.31

989.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$24.41 BOB 287

344.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.84 BOB 21.60

43.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.99 BOB 11.67

75.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$6.80 BOB 80.0

341.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.65 BOB 7.65

124.62%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$14.7K BOB 173.5K

149.31%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$20.6K BOB 242.4K

24.71%

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

$299 $299

$38.52 BOB 453

677.31%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$20.51 BOB 241

239.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$18.97 BOB 223

375.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$20.99 BOB 247

281.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$13.61 BOB 160

161.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$6.38 BOB 75.1

171.63%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$120 BOB 1,416

2381.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$3,216 BOB 37.9K

872.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$29.21 BOB 344

165.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$37.59 BOB 442

45.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$72.1 BOB 848

74.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$62.0 BOB 730

166.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$277 BOB 3,258

769.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$255 BOB 3,005

668.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$910 BOB 10.7K

425.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$873 BOB 10.3K

307.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$1,342 BOB 15.8K

453.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$750 BOB 8,822

568.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$302 BOB 3,553

1980.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.17

11.02%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Santa Cruz

$255 37.6% 87% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Santa Cruz

$121 17.9% 77.6% $420

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Santa Cruz

$78 11.5% 83% $381

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Santa Cruz

$68 10% 83.2% $334

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Santa Cruz

$90 13.3% 52.6% $100

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Santa Cruz

$32 4.8% 75.5% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Santa Cruz

$34 5% 70.5% $81

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,407 in Seattle, WA versus $277 in Santa Cruz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1980% higher in Seattle, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Seattle, WA versus $18.00 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $541 vs $121 – making Santa Cruz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

02:57 2:57 AM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

1,800,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 BOB = 8.5 USD

100 BOB = 7.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.77 BOB (100 BOB = 8.5 USD). 1 EUR = 13.2 BOB (100 BOB = 7.58 EUR).

BOB to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Santa Cruz 9,350 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 454%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,616 per month in Seattle, WA and $1,014 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 347% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Seattle, WA and $18.00 in Santa Cruz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $676, than in Seattle, WA at $3,744. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Cruz. 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.