Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Santa Teresa

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,546 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,782 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,546 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Santa Teresa $1,546

A couple spends around $5,636 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,318 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Santa Teresa $2,318

A family of three spends $7,489 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,090 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Santa Teresa $3,090

Seattle, WA costs about 145% more than Santa Teresa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seattle, WA and Santa Teresa sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 179%, Santa Teresa by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$10.08 ₡4,519

143.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$43.44 ₡19.5K

126.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$9.24 ₡4,144

60.06%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$3.73 ₡1,673

74.80%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$1.97 ₡883

63.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.66 ₡745

90.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.00 ₡1,344

161.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.58 ₡2,055

75.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.98 ₡887

-38.89%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.90 ₡1,301

77.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$2.21 ₡990

173.76%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$2.93 ₡1,312

66.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$9.91 ₡4,446

93.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$9.31 ₡4,173

103.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$13.64 ₡6,116

70.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$4.61 ₡2,068

29.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.52 ₡681

26.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$4.23 ₡1,898

24.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$3.07 ₡1,377

114.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.20 ₡1,437

13.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.63 ₡1,180

25.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.04 ₡466

167.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.81 ₡1,258

-10.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$5.08 ₡2,277

139.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$14.20 ₡6,368

4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.36 ₡1,058

78.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.56 ₡1,149

125.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.00 ₡449

195.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.81 ₡810

46.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.87 ₡837

-8.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$8.00 ₡3,589

271.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.45 ₡652

2.76%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$37.2K ₡16.7M

-3.43%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$32.8K ₡14.7M

-19.98%

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

$302 $302

$84.7 ₡38.0K

256.57%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$26.18 ₡11.7K

167.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$49.65 ₡22.3K

71.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$50.6 ₡22.7K

53.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

$23.98 ₡10.8K

44.20%

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$8.87 ₡3,976

101.13%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$573 ₡256.9K

418.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$12.6K ₡5.6M

148.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$62.9 ₡28.2K

21.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$51.1 ₡22.9K

5.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$127 ₡56.9K

1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$107 ₡47.9K

53.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$700 ₡314.1K

249.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$605 ₡271.4K

221.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,462 ₡655.5K

224.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$970 ₡435.0K

257.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

10.17

-32.25%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Santa Teresa

$605 39.1% 68.9% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Santa Teresa

$349 22.6% 36% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Santa Teresa

$160 10.4% 64.9% $297

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Santa Teresa

$192 12.4% 52% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Santa Teresa

$156 10.1% 17.8% $34

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1% 88.3% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4% 39.8% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $700 in Santa Teresa. 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 $98.0 in Seattle, WA versus $43.00 in Santa Teresa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $349 – making Santa Teresa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

3,099

💱 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 →

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Seattle, WA Santa Teresa 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Santa Teresa

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 Teresa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 145%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,673 per month in Seattle, WA and $2,319 in Santa Teresa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Teresa, 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 $98.0 in Seattle, WA and $43.00 in Santa Teresa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Teresa, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Seattle, WA at $3,782. In Santa Teresa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Teresa. 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.