Cost of living in Washington, D.C.
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,437,907 people) ranks #12 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
Hover over or tap a dot to see its value.
See all 149 cities
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 Washington, D.C. with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Washington, D.C. to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Baltimore, MD, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), using its median household income as an illustrative single-earner salary. Household income can include several earners and other income; it is not a typical individual wage. Pick your own city, salary and filing status.
Equal salary in Washington, D.C.: $101,900
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $101,900 in Washington, D.C. to match $100,000 in Baltimore, MD ($1,900 more), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses Maryland and Washington, DC state income tax; includes Baltimore resident tax $2,990 (inside city limits).
Prices and housing cover the metro area; taxes use Maryland and Washington, DC, their principal states. A metro can span several states; living in its other state can change the tax result.
What things cost in Washington, D.C.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Washington, D.C.
In this fixed example, one single filer earning a $125,000 W-2 salary keeps $89,047 after 2026 federal tax ($18,734), Social Security and Medicare ($9,563) and Washington, DC income tax ($7,657). The salary is rounded from median household income, not an observed individual wage. This example stays fixed when you change the calculator.
Prices and housing cover the full Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area; the tax example uses its principal state, Washington, DC. A home in another state within the metro can have different taxes.
Housing
| Measure | Washington, D.C. area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,037/mo |
| Median home value | $604,800 |
| Median property tax | $5,430/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $3,847 |
| Median household income | $126,244 |
Climate and jobs in Washington, D.C.
In the Washington, D.C. area the average January low is 30°F and the average July high 90°F, and the area has about 40 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 3.8% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $71,060 a year, 39% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 30°F |
| July high | 90°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 40 a year |
| Precipitation | 42 in a year |
| Snowfall | 14 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $71,060 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 3.1 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Washington Reagan Airport station (USW00013743). 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 Washington, D.C.
Our modeled retiree budget is about $3,541 a month here with a home owned outright, or $4,575 renting. It uses spending benchmarks for households with a reference person age 65 or older (BLS 2024), adjusted for local prices. These are household-based estimates, not observed spending by a single retiree in Washington, D.C. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Washington, D.C.
- Washington, D.C. to Baltimore
- Washington, D.C. to New York
- Washington, D.C. to Richmond
- Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles
- Washington, D.C. to Miami
- Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia
- Washington, D.C. to Virginia Beach
- Washington, D.C. to Boston
- Baltimore to Washington, D.C.
- New York to Washington, D.C.
- Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
- Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.
- Miami to Washington, D.C.
- Boston to Washington, D.C.
- Richmond to Washington, D.C.
- Virginia Beach to Washington, D.C.
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
RelocateMath's population-weighted mean of FEMA county risk scores for the Washington, D.C. area is 82.9 of 100 (very high county-score mean), with modeled expected losses of about $192 per resident per year. A mean of county percentiles is not an official FEMA metro rating or a national metro percentile. It describes the counties in the metro; your property's risk can differ. Disaster risk by county in Washington, DC.
The vertical line marks county-score scale midpoint (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Washington, D.C.?
In a fixed single-filer W-2 example living inside the principal city, about $89,400 in Washington, D.C. matches the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax. The example uses 2026 federal taxes, Washington, DC state taxes and modeled resident local taxes where applicable. It stays fixed when calculator inputs change. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $81,480, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $164,880.
Is Washington, D.C. expensive?
The Washington, D.C. metro area's price level is 108.9 (U.S. = 100), #12 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing rents price index is 151.1, 51% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Washington, D.C.?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Washington, D.C. had a net loss of about 6,622 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Washington, D.C.?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Washington, D.C. area (Washington Reagan Airport weather station), the average January low is 30°F and the average July high 90°F. The area has about 40 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 42 inches of precipitation a year and about 14 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Washington, D.C.?
The Washington, D.C. metro area's unemployment rate averaged 3.8% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $71,060 a year in May 2025, 39% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Washington, D.C.?
RelocateMath's population-weighted mean of FEMA county risk scores is 82.9 out of 100 (very high county-score mean). This is not an official FEMA metro rating or a national metro percentile. The highest county-score means by hazard are heat wave, winter weather, lightning.
Compare Washington, D.C. with other cities
Moving from Washington, D.C. to…
Cities with similar prices
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Moving from Washington, DC
State-agency links identify the responsible tax office; they do not verify every modeled rule. Use forms and guidance for the year you are filing.