Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and St. Albert, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 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
57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,800 in Seattle, WA versus $1,167 in St. Albert, AB.

Seattle, WA $3,800
St. Albert, AB $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,702 in Seattle, WA versus $2,457 in St. Albert, AB.

Seattle, WA $5,702
St. Albert, AB $2,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,603 in Seattle, WA versus $3,747 in St. Albert, AB.

Seattle, WA $7,603
St. Albert, AB $3,747

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 226% more expensive than in St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 182% above, St. Albert, AB is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$19.29 CA$27.42

31.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$69.2 CA$98.4

46.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$9.90 CA$14.08

50.00%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.81 CA$5.41

72.97%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.05 CA$2.92

57.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.00 CA$2.84

57.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.03 CA$7.14

62.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$5.64 CA$8.01

42.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.68 CA$2.39

-27.98%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.18 CA$3.09

134.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$3.04 CA$4.32

107.24%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.46 CA$4.91

41.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$11.42 CA$16.23

67.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$11.34 CA$16.12

63.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$18.19 CA$25.85

26.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.22 CA$5.99

37.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.39 CA$1.97

40.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$4.29 CA$6.09

23.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$3.96 CA$5.62

63.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.63 CA$3.74

35.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.64 CA$3.75

19.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.57 CA$3.66

10.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.56 CA$2.21

55.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$13.93 CA$19.80

-8.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$11.72 CA$16.66

27.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.43 CA$3.45

71.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.82 CA$4.01

112.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.03 CA$2.89

49.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$60.6 CA$86.1

81.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.93 CA$4.16

-12.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.36 CA$1.94

20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$20.90 CA$29.70

41.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.10 CA$1.57

29.09%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.3K CA$38.8K

31.07%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$19.5K CA$27.7K

31.32%

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

$299 $299

$160 CA$228

86.57%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$38.86 CA$55.2

82.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$52.6 CA$74.8

67.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$40.02 CA$56.9

98.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$12.66 CA$17.99

35.23%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$748 CA$1,062

303.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$9,306 CA$13.2K

239.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$55.7 CA$79.2

38.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$39.02 CA$55.5

41.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$83.3 CA$118

50.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$110 CA$157

47.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$1,334 CA$1,896

253.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$1,124 CA$1,597

215.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

$2,488 CA$3,536

195.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

$2,492 CA$3,542

102.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$3,157 CA$4,486

99.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.51

51.88%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

St. Albert, AB

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8% 33.6% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6% 45.1% $206

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2% 30.9% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1% 31.4% $60

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7% 41% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6% 42.5% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

Seattle, WA pays 99% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $69.0 in St. Albert, AB for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $542 vs $360 per month, with St. Albert, AB cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

20:22 8:22 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

68,232

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seattle, WA St. Albert, AB 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Albert, AB is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 226% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 99% 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.

Dining out is cheaper in St. Albert, AB – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $101 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA versus $1,167 in St. Albert, AB – a 226% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,167 in St. Albert, AB versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in St. Albert, AB but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes St. Albert, AB the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, St. Albert, AB is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seattle, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find St. Albert, AB gentler on the wallet – expenses run 226% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.