Buffalo, NY vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Buffalo to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($288,316 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Buffalo 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 Buffalo, NY, you'd need about $118,763 in Seattle, WA (+$18,763).
Livability — Buffalo, NY: 61 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,775 sqft in Buffalo vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($180 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Buffalo, NY | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $26,784 | +$9,456 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $5,405 | +$537 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $4,075 | +$180 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,548 | −$1,632 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,500 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $18,192 | $8,826 | −$9,366 |
| Total | $49,063 | $48,138 | −$925 |
Side by side
| Metric | Buffalo, NY | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.10% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.4% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $288,316 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $180 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 2.26% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 5 |