Augusta, GA vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Augusta to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($253,524 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Augusta vs Seattle at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Augusta, GA, you'd need about $123,549 in Seattle, WA (+$23,549).
Livability — Augusta, GA: 72 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,042 sqft in Augusta vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($124 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Augusta, GA | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,748 | $26,784 | +$9,036 |
| Groceries | $4,809 | $5,405 | +$596 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $4,075 | +$560 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,548 | −$108 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,500 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $9,236 | $8,826 | −$410 |
| Total | $39,064 | $48,138 | +$9,074 |
Side by side
| Metric | Augusta, GA | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.2 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.45% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $253,524 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $124 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,479 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.68% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 4.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $74 | $58 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $123 | $167 |
| Home internet / mo | $88 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 37 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 50.4 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 2.2 | 6.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 60% | 47% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |