Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Scarborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Scarborough: $2,466 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Scarborough

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,466 in Scarborough, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Scarborough $2,466

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,385 in Scarborough, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Scarborough $3,385

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $4,304 in Scarborough, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Scarborough $4,304

Seattle, WA costs about 54% more than Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Scarborough sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 182%, Scarborough by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$16.49 CA$23.31

53.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$68.8 CA$97.2

47.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$10.56 CA$14.93

40.62%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.87 CA$5.47

70.28%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.07 CA$2.92

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.37 CA$1.94

129.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$6.24 CA$8.82

31.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$7.08 CA$10.01

13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.51 CA$3.56

-51.79%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.68 CA$3.78

91.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$2.13 CA$3.01

195.77%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.45 CA$4.88

42.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$8.94 CA$12.63

113.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$11.01 CA$15.56

68.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$12.57 CA$17.77

83.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.22 CA$4.56

80.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.21 CA$1.71

61.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.39 CA$4.79

56.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$4.00 CA$5.65

62.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.65 CA$2.33

116.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.58 CA$2.24

99.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.28 CA$3.22

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.19 CA$1.68

103.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$13.74 CA$19.43

-7.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$12.75 CA$18.03

17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.11 CA$2.99

97.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.51 CA$3.55

138.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.35 CA$3.32

29.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$103 CA$146

6.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.95 CA$4.17

-13.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.26 CA$1.79

30.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$21.32 CA$30.14

38.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.21 CA$1.72

17.36%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.5K CA$38.8K

30.21%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$19.9K CA$28.1K

28.64%

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

$299 $299

$141 CA$199

112.73%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$34.98 CA$49.45

102.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$47.92 CA$67.7

84.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$35.43 CA$50.1

124.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

$35.38 CA$50.0

-0.03%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$12.45 CA$17.60

37.51%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$808 CA$1,142

272.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$10.4K CA$14.7K

204.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$51.5 CA$72.9

49.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$39.00 CA$55.1

41.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$84.4 CA$119

48.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$103 CA$146

57.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,695 CA$2,396

45.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$1,342 CA$1,898

45.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$2,130 CA$3,011

121.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,736 CA$2,454

104.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$7,564 CA$10.7K

-2.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$6,121 CA$8,653

-17.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$2,908 CA$4,111

116.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.55

50.55%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4% 31.4% $614

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Scarborough

$323 13.1% 40.3% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Scarborough

$223 9.1% 51.2% $235

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Scarborough

$269 10.9% 34.1% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Scarborough

$125 5.1% 33.9% $64

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Scarborough

$122 5% 8.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Scarborough

$60 2.5% 47% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA versus $1,695 in Scarborough. 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 116% 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 $101 in Seattle, WA versus $69.0 in Scarborough. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $323 – making Scarborough the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

29,960

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Scarborough 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA and $3,699 in Scarborough. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 6% less in Scarborough. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,013 per month in Seattle, WA and $808 in Scarborough. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,800 in Seattle, WA and $2,466 in Scarborough. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Scarborough – 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 Scarborough. 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.