Cost of living in Seattle, WA
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494 people) ranks #6 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Seattle with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Seattle to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Los Angeles, CA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Seattle: $86,200
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $86,200 in Seattle, WA to match $95,000 in Los Angeles, CA ($8,800 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Washington has no state income tax on wages; California does; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Seattle
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Seattle
On a $110,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $84,689 after 2026 federal tax ($15,370), Social Security and Medicare ($8,415). Washington has no state income tax on wages, plus $1,526 in state payroll programs.
Housing
| Measure | Seattle area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,050/mo |
| Median home value | $743,000 |
| Median property tax | $6,294/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $4,568 |
| Median household income | $112,388 |
Climate and jobs in Seattle
In the Seattle area the average January low is 38°F and the average July high 77°F, and the area has about 4 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.6% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $72,610 a year, 42% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 38°F |
| July high | 77°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 a year |
| Precipitation | 39 in a year |
| Snowfall | 6.3 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $72,610 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 2.1 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Seattle Tacoma International Airport station (USW00024233). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Seattle
A single retiree spends about $3,570 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,777 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Seattle
- Seattle to Olympia
- Seattle to Los Angeles
- Seattle to Phoenix
- Seattle to Portland
- Seattle to Bremerton
- Seattle to New York
- Seattle to San Francisco
- Seattle to Dallas
- Los Angeles to Seattle
- Portland to Seattle
- San Francisco to Seattle
- New York to Seattle
- Olympia to Seattle
- Phoenix to Seattle
- Bremerton to Seattle
- Dallas to Seattle
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Seattle area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 99 of 100), with expected losses of about $653 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Washington.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Seattle?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $86,400 in Seattle. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $82,000, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $195,752.
Is Seattle expensive?
The Seattle metro area's price level is 111.1 (U.S. = 100), #6 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 151.3, 51% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Seattle?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Seattle had a net gain of about 5,159 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Seattle?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Seattle area (Seattle Tacoma International Airport weather station), the average January low is 38°F and the average July high 77°F. The area has about 4 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 39 inches of precipitation a year and about 6.3 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Seattle?
The Seattle metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.6% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $72,610 a year in May 2025, 42% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Seattle?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 99). The highest relative risks are earthquake, landslide, riverine flooding.
Compare Seattle with other cities
Moving from Seattle to…
Cities with similar prices
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- Moving from Washington