Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Thousand Oaks, CA

For one person, living costs are similar in Seattle, WA and in Thousand Oaks, CA: $3,744 and $3,845 a month, rent and utilities included.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index
186

Cost of Living Index in Thousand Oaks, CA
Learn more

Thousand Oaks, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Thousand Oaks, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Thousand Oaks, CA

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 Thousand Oaks, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA versus $3,845 in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Thousand Oaks, CA $3,845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,703 in Seattle, WA versus $5,209 in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Thousand Oaks, CA $5,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,661 in Seattle, WA versus $6,573 in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Thousand Oaks, CA $6,573

Living in Seattle, WA costs roughly 3% less than in Thousand Oaks, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Thousand Oaks, CA 187% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$25.09 $25.09

-2.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$98.3 $98.3

1.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$9.00 $9.00

70.00%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$5.63 $5.63

17.58%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$2.81 $2.81

15.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.03 $2.03

53.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$7.97 $7.97

-2.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$9.38 $9.38

-15.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.19 $1.19

1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.98 $3.98

24.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.58 $3.58

72.35%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$5.15 $5.15

-3.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$12.54 $12.54

51.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$20.47 $20.47

-8.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$22.65 $22.65

2.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$5.37 $5.37

10.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.79 $1.79

8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$4.80 $4.80

8.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$5.79 $5.79

13.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.76 $2.76

14.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.62 $1.62

79.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.27 $2.27

4.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$10.17 $10.17

21.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$15.18 $15.18

-1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.68 $1.68

155.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$1.54 $1.54

269.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$4.43 $4.43

-40.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.91 $1.91

-8.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$36.32 $36.32

-17.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.48 $1.48

-1.35%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$37.5K $37.5K

-1.92%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

-0.07%

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

$299 $299

$161 $161

85.50%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$47.91 $47.91

45.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$69.7 $69.7

29.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$66.1 $66.1

20.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$22.11 $22.11

61.10%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$12.12 $12.12

42.99%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$1,718 $1,718

73.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$42.2K $42.2K

-25.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$49.05 $49.05

58.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$29.43 $29.43

86.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$79.1 $79.1

59.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$121 $121

36.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$2,625 $2,625

-8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$2,493 $2,493

-21.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$3,748 $3,748

27.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$3,457 $3,457

3.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$5,777 $5,777

28.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$5,858 $5,858

-14.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$5,925 $5,925

5.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.64

3.16%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Thousand Oaks, CA: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$2.5K 64.8% 27% $530

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$472 12.3% 12.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$279 7.3% 39.2% $180

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$373 9.7% 7.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$125 3.3% 34.4% $65

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$14 * 0.4% 89.4% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$90 2.4% 21.2% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,407 in Seattle, WA and $2,625 in Thousand Oaks, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $99.0 in Seattle, WA vs $98.0 in Thousand Oaks, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $541 vs $472 per month, with Thousand Oaks, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Thousand Oaks, CA

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

Same time as Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

124,207

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seattle, WA Thousand Oaks, CA 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Thousand Oaks, CA

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 Thousand Oaks, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Thousand Oaks, CA differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($3,744 vs $3,845 including rent). Seattle, WA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $2,407 in Seattle, WA versus $2,625 in Thousand Oaks, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,986 in Seattle, WA versus $1,718 in Thousand Oaks, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Seattle, WA – a meal for two runs $99.0 versus $98.0 in Thousand Oaks, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Seattle, WA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Safety-wise, Seattle, WA and Thousand Oaks, CA 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 Seattle, WA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Thousand Oaks, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.