Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Seattle Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 0.2% more expensive than Seattle.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.3% less in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 0.3% less in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 6.2% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 3.1% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 19.4% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.3% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 17.4% less in District of Columbia
District of Columbia vs. Seattle Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Seattle, you would:
pay 4.3% less for restaurants
|
Seattle
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$28.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.19
|
$3.17
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$3.08
|
$2.64
|
|
Seattle vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.3% less for groceries
|
Seattle
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.06
|
$4.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.46
|
$8.53
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.51
|
$4.95
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.04
|
$5.64
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$8.43
|
$7.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$3.17
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.87
|
$1.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$2.27
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.90
|
$2.64
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.60
|
$1.29
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.73
|
|
Seattle vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 6.2% less for transportation
|
Seattle
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.48
|
$4.19
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$108.00
|
$120.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,318.00
|
$36,375.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.12
|
$16.73
|
|
Seattle vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 3.1% more for housing
|
Seattle
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$89.33
|
$77.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,454.06
|
$2,717.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,955.80
|
$2,228.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$233.08
|
$161.22
|
|
Seattle vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 19.4% more for childcare
|
Seattle
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,012.40
|
$3,221.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$31,129.44
|
$41,506.00
|
|
Seattle vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 13.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Seattle
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$9.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.66
|
$6.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.56
|
$13.94
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$78.87
|
$114.30
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.00
|
$18.00
|
|
Seattle vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.4% less for clothing
|
Seattle
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$77.77
|
$71.42
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.88
|
$44.11
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$127.75
|
$104.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$162.20
|
$125.16
|
|
Seattle vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Seattle vs. District of Columbia
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about District of Columbia or Seattle. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.