Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, Canada and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Surrey: $2,335 a month against $3,762 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
182

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index

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Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,335

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Surrey and in Seattle, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,335 in Surrey versus $3,762 in Seattle, WA.

Surrey $2,335
Seattle, WA $3,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,571 in Surrey versus $5,651 in Seattle, WA.

Surrey $3,571
Seattle, WA $5,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,807 in Surrey versus $7,541 in Seattle, WA.

Surrey $4,807
Seattle, WA $7,541

Living in Surrey costs roughly 38% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Surrey 73% above, Seattle, WA 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.05 CA$25.38

$23.80 $23.80

-24.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 CA$79.7

$98.6 $98.6

-42.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 CA$14.43

$14.94 $14.94

-31.33%

Cappuccino

$3.49 CA$4.90

$6.79 $6.79

-48.60%

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

$2.09 CA$2.93

$3.23 $3.23

-35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.23

$3.15 $3.15

-49.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.98

$8.21 $8.21

-30.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CA$8.07

$7.87 $7.87

-27.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 CA$3.69

$1.17 $1.17

123.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 CA$3.09

$5.29 $5.29

-58.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.19

$5.76 $5.76

-35.94%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.01

$4.89 $4.89

-27.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 CA$14.05

$20.25 $20.25

-50.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 CA$14.70

$17.95 $17.95

-41.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.30 CA$28.54

$23.35 $23.35

-13.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.69

$5.94 $5.94

-43.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 CA$1.90

$1.89 $1.89

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 CA$4.22

$5.35 $5.35

-43.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 CA$4.27

$6.57 $6.57

-53.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$3.39 $3.39

-23.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 CA$2.91

$2.88 $2.88

-28.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 CA$2.91

$2.89 $2.89

-28.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 CA$2.54

$2.43 $2.43

-25.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.40 CA$20.25

$12.18 $12.18

18.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.39 CA$20.24

$15.24 $15.24

-5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 CA$3.57

$4.38 $4.38

-42.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 CA$4.60

$5.89 $5.89

-44.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.61

$2.96 $2.96

-13.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CA$151

$109 $109

-1.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$2.52 $2.52

5.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.17

$1.72 $1.72

-10.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.86 CA$39.18

$29.70 $29.70

-6.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 CA$1.98

$1.51 $1.51

-6.62%

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

$28.0K CA$39.4K

$36.2K $36.2K

-22.48%

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

$22.2K CA$31.2K

$25.7K $25.7K

-13.61%

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

$186 CA$262

$289 $289

-35.55%

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

$37.01 CA$52.1

$69.1 $69.1

-46.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 CA$92.9

$84.8 $84.8

-22.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.97 CA$44.96

$69.4 $69.4

-53.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.27 CA$35.55

$35.05 $35.05

-27.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.51 CA$17.60

$17.97 $17.97

-30.38%

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

$669 CA$940

$2,819 $2,819

-76.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K CA$26.2K

$43.9K $43.9K

-57.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 CA$77.6

$91.2 $91.2

-39.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.8 CA$74.3

$55.1 $55.1

-4.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$142

$127 $127

-20.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 CA$128

$162 $162

-43.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 CA$1,952

$2,579 $2,579

-46.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 CA$1,537

$1,943 $1,943

-43.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,553 CA$3,591

$5,100 $5,100

-49.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 CA$2,978

$3,541 $3,541

-40.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,746 CA$9,487

$7,357 $7,357

-8.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 CA$7,237

$4,921 $4,921

4.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,095 CA$4,352

$6,448 $6,448

-52.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

6.8

-28.38%

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

Last update for Surrey: November 1, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surrey

$1.1K 46.8%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.6% 77.8% $850

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$362 15.5%

Seattle, WA

$544 14.5% 50.2% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$289 12.4%

Seattle, WA

$443 11.8% 53.1% $153

Eating Out

Surrey

$272 11.6%

Seattle, WA

$399 10.6% 47% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$135 5.8%

Seattle, WA

$196 5.2% 45.4% $61

Getting Around

Surrey

$128 5.5%

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5% 3.3% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$57 2.4%

Seattle, WA

$105 2.8% 84.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,388 in Surrey and $2,579 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Surrey vs $99 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $544 per month, with Surrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Surrey

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

09:38 9:38 AM

1 h behind Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

517,887

737,015

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Surrey Seattle, WA 180 km

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Surrey
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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

Surrey vs Seattle, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surrey is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Surrey. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,388 in Surrey versus $2,579 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $669 in Surrey versus $2,819 in Seattle, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surrey – a meal for two runs $57 versus $99 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,335 in Surrey versus $3,762 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Surrey but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Surrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Surrey wins on affordability, Seattle, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.