Your FIFA World Cup ticket could cost half a month’s rent in Seattle

by Elizabeth Kanzeg Rowland

FIFA World Cup frenzy has hit Seattle, bringing together fans of the game from around the world to cheer for their favorite teams.

FIFA World Cup frenzy has hit Seattle, bringing together fans of the game from around the world to cheer for their favorite teams. With demand driving ticket prices skyward, researchers at PropertyShark decided to compare ticket costs to another expensive commodity in Seattle — housing.

The real estate company contrasted first-sale and resale ticket prices on sites like the FIFA World Cup 2026 portal, GameTime, SeatGeek, StubHub, TicketData and Vivid, comparing those costs to typical mortgage costs and rents in U.S. host cities. Researchers sourced housing data from Yardi and local MLS databases.

To live in Seattle, one of the most expensive housing markets in the nation, buyers must fork over a median of $865,000 to buy a home with a $4,374 monthly mortgage. Renters pay an average of $2,298 to call the city home.

In comparison, a ticket to watch Team USA play Australia at Lumen Field was going for at least $1,096 as of June 4. That means locals would have to spend one-quarter of a month’s mortgage or half a month’s rent to attend.

While tickets to Seattle matches fetched exorbitant rates, the gap between housing costs and ticket prices narrowed in other host cities, specifically those with more affordable housing and more expensive games.

In Miami, for example, a ticket to the Colombia versus Portugal match on June 27 runs a minimum of $2,700. That’s just dollars below the city’s typical monthly mortgage payment of $2,731 and average rent of $2,696.

With everything from housing to gas to event tickets costing more, it may be impossible for fans to put a price tag on the joy of attending a once-in-a-lifetime World Cup match hosted in their hometown.

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