Cost of living comparison
compared to
Seattle vs. Tempe Cost of Living Summary
Seattle is 39.1% more expensive than Tempe.
Seattle vs. Tempe Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Seattle instead of Tempe, you would:
pay 15.7% more for restaurants
Tempe | Seattle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $19.17 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.25 | $15.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.80 | $3.00 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.40 | $2.47 | |
Tempe vs. Seattle - Cost of restaurants
pay 44.7% more for groceries
Tempe | Seattle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.20 | $5.23 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.82 | $11.39 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.40 | $5.40 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.83 | $7.32 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.93 | $7.35 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.08 | $2.87 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.75 | $1.26 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.75 | $2.43 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.26 | $3.18 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.12 | $1.47 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.30 | $1.57 | |
Tempe vs. Seattle - Cost of groceries
pay 28.9% more for transportation
Tempe | Seattle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.40 | $4.55 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $61.00 | $99.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,113.30 | $36,656.56 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $13.69 | $16.02 | |
Tempe vs. Seattle - Cost of transportation
pay 6.8% more for housing
Tempe | Seattle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $83.95 | $78.37 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,900.00 | $2,333.68 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,750.00 | $1,900.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $196.17 | $200.99 | |
Tempe vs. Seattle - Cost of housing
pay 96.8% more for childcare
Tempe | Seattle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,091.67 | $2,200.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,605.00 | $30,000.00 | |
Tempe vs. Seattle - Cost of childcare
pay 53.6% more for entertainment and sports
Tempe | Seattle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.00 | $7.75 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.38 | $6.04 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.49 | $12.75 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $30.00 | $85.87 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.50 | $16.00 | |
Tempe vs. Seattle - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.4% more for clothing
Tempe | Seattle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $53.12 | $69.52 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $43.50 | $54.68 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $88.00 | $116.24 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $111.67 | $135.08 | |
Tempe vs. Seattle - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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