Bottom Line: Is Seattle Expensive to Visit in 2024

Seattle is the most populous city in Washington, and if you’re visiting this bustling city for the first time, you may be wondering: Is Seattle expensive to visit or can you visit Seattle on a budget? To give you a better idea of what to expect, I’ll be providing insight into the costs of visiting Seattle based on many trips to the emerald city as well as tips for keeping your trip costs down!

Is Seattle Expensive to Visit? (2024)

To cut to the chase, yes — Seattle is pretty expensive to visit. The city is well-known for being the largest major tech hub in the Pacific Northwest, and with so many tech bros and girlies in the city, it’s not exactly that far of a stretch to assume Seattle is also expensive to visit… I mean just look at Silicon Valley and San Francisco, two other major tech hubs with ridiculously high costs of living.

Heck, even compared to San Diego, which has a reputation for being expensive and is where I lived for several years, Seattle makes San Diego seem not that bad… dare I say ✨almost affordable✨. Yah okay maybe not that far. 😂

And, if you’re visiting from outside the United States and unfamiliar with the cities mentioned above, here are some European reference points. Compared to Eastern European countries, such as Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, or Budapest… you can expect to spend 3x as much in Seattle compared to those locations.

Or, let’s say you’re more familiar with places in Western Europe. Major cities like Paris, Stockholm, and Oslo rank at the top of the most expensive places in Europe. But, they are surprisingly considered less expensive to visit than Seattle. Meanwhile, other European places like Zurich, Geneva, and Monaco are said to be more expensive to visit than Seattle. However, from my experience in these destinations, this wasn’t necessarily true. I found Zurich and Geneva to be very expensive, but I thought the cost of visiting Monaco wasn’t bad at all.

This all goes to show that in the end, it’s all a little subjective and based on your travel preferences. But, in general, Seattle is expensive to visit and you expect to spend a pretty penny for a vacation in the city!

How Expensive Is Seattle?

Ok, now that I’ve established that Seattle is expensive, you might be wondering exactly how expensive is Seattle. After all, we all come from different backgrounds, so my “expensive” could be your everyday costs — I mean, I am not exactly the most financially stable individual presently lol. 🙃

So, to paint a clearer picture, I’ll be providing you with average prices you can anticipate spending on various parts of your trip. These will be both based on my multiple experiences in Seattle as well as my friends who live in the city! This way, you’ll hopefully get a nice idea of how much you’ll be spending on accommodation, food, and activities during your trip! And to help you maximize your time in the city, I’ll tell you what famous attractions are worth doing and which ones to avoid!

How Much Is Accommodation in Seattle?

Since Seattle is a major city, you can find accommodation in Seattle to fit just about any budget. But to give you a rough idea, here’s a quick breakdown of prices you can expect to pay based on the type of housing you select.

At a highly-rated hostel, you can expect to pay about $50 per night for a shared room and $131 for a private room. For a quality 3-star hotel, prices range from about $160 – $300 per night, with the average price being ~ $240 per night. Meanwhile, rooms at a 4-star hotel cost anywhere between $170 – $425 per night. That said, the average price is around $300, so any hotel offering a price below that is pretty good in terms of Seattle rates.

Finally, for any travelers looking for the most luxurious stay and to have the best amenities available at their fingertips, expect to pay a hefty sum. The only 5-star hotel in the area is the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, which costs about $1,000 per night. 🫣 So, as you can see, the average price of accommodation in Seattle is quite a bit more expensive than in most other places.

Looking for Accommodation in Seattle?

If you’re still in the process of planning your trip to Seattle and haven’t secured your housing accommodations yet, here are some places I recommend checking out. You can also just head directly to your favorite booking platform with the buttons below to see additional housing options.

Low-Cost Stay

• Green Tortoise Seattle — best hostel right next to Pike Place Market | ⭐️ 9 / 10
• Hotel Max — 3-star hotel, centrally located & includes gym | ⭐️ 8.2 / 10

Mid-Range Stay

• The Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel Seattle — 4-star hotel w/ spa | ⭐️ 8.6 / 10
• Hyatt Regency Seattle — fantastic 4-star hotel w/ lake views | ⭐️ 8.8 / 10

Fancy Stays

• Fairmont Olympic Hotel — luxury 4-star hotel w/ indoor pool & spa | ⭐️ 8.8 / 10
• Four Seasons Hotel Seattle — 5-star hotel w/ rooftop infinity pool | ⭐️ 9.4 / 10

Are Seattle Tourist Attractions Expensive?

In my opinion, Seattle Tourist Attractions are either super expensive or pretty affordable/free. It’s like there’s no middle-ground option.

Take a look at the most popular tourist attraction that’s synonymous with being a symbol of the city — the Seattle Space Needle. To enter the Space Needle, you can expect to pay $32.50 – $39, depending on the time slot you purchase. I don’t know about you, but paying more than $30 to ride an elevator up 500 feet and then see some views of the city seems unnecessarily expensive.

Instead of going up the Space Needle, I recommend visiting the Sky View Observatory – Columbia Center in downtown Seattle. This is more commonly known as the Columbia Tower. Here, you’ll not only pay less to catch panoramic views from way higher up than the Seattle Space Needle (520 feet up) but also the experience is just better. More specifically, as you ascend 73 floors (900+ feet) to the top of the tower, a staff member explains the history of the building and area. So if you want panoramic views and more value, check out the Sky View Observatory.

Also at the top of most tourist “must-do” lists is a visit to the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit. Here, you’ll get an opportunity to witness some of the world-famous glass art sculptures by Dale Chihuly. Like the Space Needle, it can be a bit expensive, but I’d say it’s worth it.

Affordable Seattle Tourist Attractions

On the more affordable side, I recommend visiting the eye-catching Amazon Spheres in downtown Seattle, Washington Park Arboretum, and Kerry Park.

Or, for a true taste of the city, consider a Seattle food tour. What’s nice about the food tours in Seattle is that they’re surprisingly pretty reasonably priced. Most of the food tours in Pike Place cost $65 – $80, which is a seriously great deal. I’ve paid well over $100 for foodie excursions in Milan or tasting experiences in Spain that lasted the same amount of time.

Overall, I would recommend allotting about $40-50 USD per day you are in Seattle for tourist activities. This way, you can easily spread your expenses out and average costs down. For instance, let’s say you are in Seattle for 3 full days. You can hit up the expensive tourist attractions one day, do a tasty food tour or day trip to Leavenworth the next day, and then chill in the city and visit all the little parks the third day.

How Expensive Is Food in Seattle?

Honestly, food in Seattle is more expensive than I’d like it to be, but it’s not horrendously unreasonable. For instance, it’s not like Zurich where I paid ~$13 for an 8 oz smoothie that wasn’t any better than a medium size smooth from Jamba Juice. Most places in Seattle don’t rob you in broad daylight. 🥲

But, you’ll likely feel like you’re being slightly shafted at some food establishments since they can be pretty expensive. An example is when I bought ice cream. Two scoops of ice cream in a waffle cone cost me $13. 🥲Was the ice cream amazing? Yes. Would I pay that much for the same ice cream again? No.

In contrast, I did find some places that should honestly charge more. So it’s a little hit-and-miss. But, in general, I would budget around $50 – $60 a day for food. This is assuming you eat out twice a day at inexpensive – mid-range restaurants and aren’t buying drinks.

🥭 NOTE: Food places near Pike Place Market are ✨ super expensive ✨ Even the 3 mangoes I bought within Pike Place Market cost me $14. They were good, but they weren’t nearly as good as the mangoes I had in Tahiti, which were a third of the price!

How Much Is a Meal in Seattle?

According to research, your average meal in Seattle is ~$25. But, from my experience, I’d say this number is closer to about $18 – $20 per meal at an inexpensive restaurant. Speaking of which, a place I highly recommend checking out and that I loved eating at is Biang Biang Noodles! They are famous for their homemade noodles that have the perfect texture and are mouthwateringly delicious.

And if you’re wondering what food Seattle is known for… the city is known for its Seattle dogs. Seattle-style hot dogs are hot dogs with a generous amount of cream cheese, sautéed onions, and your favorite condiments. Oh! And all of this is inside a pretzel bun. I personally have not tried one since I’m not big on hot dogs in general, but it’s something to check out.

Aside from Seattle dogs and some pretty good Asian food spots, Seattle is known for its sushi and array of seafood dishes. Considering the city is home to a major port and has a harbor right in the heart of the city, this makes sense. 😅

How Much Does Seattle Public Transport Cost?

Unlike most places in the United States, Seattle has a fairly extensive public transport network that includes buses, the metro, street cars, the Link Light Rail, and even water ferries. It’s better than San Diego’s public transit network and honestly rivals that of Montreal and Paris, which is quite a feat.

And to sweeten the pot, the cost of Seattle public transport is pretty affordable. For example, if you fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and want to get downtown, it costs about $3 via the Light Rail. Meanwhile, an Uber costs about $45. How do I know this? Well, the Light rail was broken when I was flying out of Seattle, so I had to take an Uber. 🙃

For getting around the Seattle area, you can mostly walk from place to place if you’re staying downtown. But, if you need to cross town or have limited mobility, a one-way ticket for a street car ride is ~$2 – 3, which is similar pricing to the Light Rail/metro. You can read more information on Seattle’s fantastic public transport network here. But, in general, I would budget $5 – $10 per day for public transport in Seattle.

Is Seattle Expensive: FAQ

Wrap-Up: Is Seattle Expensive to Visit? (2024)

To conclude, Seattle is definitely on the more expensive side when it comes to travel destinations. You can expect to pay more for housing and food here than in most places in the United States… That said, it’s entirely possible to travel to the city on a budget as there are lots of low-cost activities to do to bring down expenses! So with that, I hope this little guide has helped form your budget for your Seattle itinerary and that you have a marvelous time wandering around!

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