Where you live now
San FranciscoUnited States
$4,850
per month
Cost of living: San Francisco vs Seattle
Choose where you live now and another city. You'll see what a normal month costs in each: rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
Household
Rent
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Seattle is 24% cheaper than San Francisco.
Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
City to compare
SeattleUnited States
$3,668
per month
Monthly costs by category
Show amounts in
| Category | San Francisco | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 3,500 | 2,400 | −31% |
| Groceries | 414 | 396 | −5% |
| Eating out | 382 | 351 | −8% |
| Getting around | 153 | 142 | −7% |
| Bills | 255 | 242 | −5% |
| Going out | 122 | 115 | −6% |
| Clothes | 24 | 24 | −2% |
| Total per month | 4,850 | 3,668 | −24% |
Seattle is 24% cheaper than San Francisco for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is rent (−31%); clothes is the closest (−2%). Someone spending $4,850 a month in San Francisco would need about $3,668 in Seattle for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 65% of the monthly budget in Seattle and 72% in San Francisco.
Seattle: no reports yet, so these numbers are starting estimates from the city's overall price level.How this is calculated
Prices
Everyday prices in Seattle
The typical price people paid recently, and how it compares with San Francisco. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.
Show amounts in
| Item | Typical price | What people paid | vs San Francisco | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, regularEstimated | $4.85 | −8% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated | $21.80 | −9% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Monthly public transport passEstimated | $119 | −7% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated | $2,400 | −31% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated | $1,728 | −31% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Milk, 1 LEstimated | $1.22 | −4% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Eggs, 12Estimated | $4.64 | −5% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated | $12.20 | −4% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated | $193 | −6% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated | $60.38 | −5% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated | $55.73 | −5% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Gym membership, monthlyEstimated | $81.86 | −6% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Cinema ticketEstimated | $16.37 | −6% vs San Francisco | 0 reports | |
| Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated | $63.31 | −2% vs San Francisco | 0 reports |
Most reports (10th–90th percentile)
Middle half of reports
Same item in San Francisco
All prices in Seattle
Method
Where the numbers come from
People who live in each city share what they paid. Every price is checked before it counts.
People share prices
Anyone can add what they paid, in their own currency. No account needed. A quick automatic check keeps bots out.
We check every price
Typos, wrong currencies and impossible amounts are caught. An unusual price only counts after someone else reports something similar.
We work out the typical price
We use the middle price of recent reports. When a city has only a few reports, we estimate the rest and label it "Estimated".
No reports in the last 30 days yet. When they arrive, you'll see here how many were counted, held for a second opinion or turned down.
Rankings
Most and least expensive cities
Monthly cost for one person renting in the city centre, in US dollars. Pick a city to compare it with San Francisco. See all 118 cities
Most expensive
Comparisons
Popular comparisons
Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.
- London vs New York$4,144 → $5,691+37%
- Lisbon vs London$2,242 → $4,144+85%
- Hong Kong vs Singapore$3,299 → $4,261+29%
- New York vs Tokyo$5,691 → $1,976−65%
- Berlin vs London$2,319 → $4,144+79%
- Dubai vs London$3,319 → $4,144+25%
- Amsterdam vs Berlin$3,303 → $2,319−30%
- Barcelona vs Madrid$2,227 → $2,151−3%
- Lisbon vs Porto$2,242 → $1,840−18%
- Melbourne vs Sydney$2,803 → $3,486+24%
- Toronto vs Vancouver$3,003 → $3,103+3%
- Beijing vs Shanghai$1,723 → $1,840+7%
- Osaka vs Tokyo$1,574 → $1,976+25%
- Bangkok vs Singapore$1,304 → $4,261+227%
- Mexico City vs New York$1,680 → $5,691+239%
- Seoul vs Tokyo$1,961 → $1,976+1%
- London vs Paris$4,144 → $2,753−34%
- Dubai vs Singapore$3,319 → $4,261+28%
- New York vs San Francisco$5,691 → $4,850−15%
- Bangkok vs Chiang Mai$1,304 → $898−31%
- Buenos Aires vs São Paulo$1,316 → $1,3210%
- London vs Sydney$4,144 → $3,486−16%
- Austin vs San Francisco$3,086 → $4,850+57%
- Hong Kong vs Taipei$3,299 → $1,424−57%
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FAQ
San Francisco vs Seattle: common questions
Is Seattle cheaper than San Francisco?
Yes. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about $3,668 a month in Seattle, against $4,850 in San Francisco: 24% less.
How much is rent in Seattle compared with San Francisco?
A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of Seattle rents for about $2,400 a month, −31% compared with $3,500 in San Francisco. Outside the centre it's about $1,728 against $2,520.
How much money do I need to move from San Francisco to Seattle?
To keep the lifestyle that costs $4,850 a month in San Francisco, plan on about $3,668 in Seattle for one person. A family of four would need about $10,060, compared with $12,735 in San Francisco.
How much does eating out cost in Seattle vs San Francisco?
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about $21.80 in Seattle and $23.92 in San Francisco. A regular cappuccino is about $4.85 against $5.28.
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