Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Toluca

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $32,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $1,098 in Toluca.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Toluca $1,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $1,844 in Toluca.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Toluca $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $2,589 in Toluca.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Toluca $2,589

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 244% more expensive than in Toluca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 179% above, Toluca is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$11.03 MX$204

122.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$42.85 MX$792

129.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$9.09 MX$168

62.71%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$3.14 MX$58.0

107.64%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$1.26 MX$23.24

156.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$0.76 MX$13.97

317.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$2.14 MX$39.49

266.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.29 MX$60.8

144.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.77 MX$32.71

-31.64%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.12 MX$57.7

64.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$2.18 MX$40.28

177.52%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$3.05 MX$56.3

60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$7.94 MX$147

141.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$8.36 MX$155

126.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$8.91 MX$165

161.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$4.08 MX$75.3

46.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.11 MX$39.00

-8.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.22 MX$41.07

136.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$2.28 MX$42.16

188.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.82 MX$52.2

28.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.30 MX$42.58

43.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.64 MX$30.26

69.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.03 MX$19.07

143.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.87 MX$90.0

150.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$12.25 MX$226

21.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.99 MX$36.76

112.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.65 MX$67.5

58.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.75 MX$13.92

293.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.20 MX$59.0

-17.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.01 MX$37.22

-14.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$10.17 MX$188

192.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.44 MX$26.66

3.47%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$24.6K MX$454.6K

45.92%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.5K MX$433.9K

11.76%

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

$302 $302

$58.1 MX$1,074

419.43%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$25.04 MX$463

180.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$31.71 MX$586

168.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$48.08 MX$889

61.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

$22.66 MX$419

52.60%

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$6.95 MX$128

156.69%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$224 MX$4,131

1229.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$5,244 MX$96.9K

496.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$66.7 MX$1,233

14.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$53.7 MX$992

0.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$104 MX$1,920

23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$104 MX$1,923

57.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$705 MX$13.0K

247.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$289 MX$5,345

573.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$972 MX$18.0K

388.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$703 MX$13.0K

393.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$1,296 MX$24.0K

468.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

$915 MX$16.9K

460.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

$1,273 MX$23.5K

411.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.07

-37.76%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Toluca: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Toluca

$289 26.3% 85.1% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Toluca

$289 26.4% 47% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Toluca

$115 10.5% 74.9% $342

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Toluca

$178 16.3% 55.3% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Toluca

$148 13.5% 22.3% $43

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Toluca

$16 * 1.5% 87.4% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Toluca

$62 5.7% 45.4% $52

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 $2,445 in Seattle, WA and $705 in Toluca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 411% 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: $98.0 in Seattle, WA vs $43.00 in Toluca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $289 per month, with Toluca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Toluca

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

223,876

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Toluca 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Toluca

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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toluca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 244% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 411% 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: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $705 in Toluca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,973 in Seattle, WA versus $224 in Toluca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Toluca – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $98.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,098 in Toluca versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toluca but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Toluca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Toluca 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 Toluca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 244% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.