Columbia, SC vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Columbia to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,154 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Columbia 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 Columbia, SC, you'd need about $120,926 in Seattle, WA (+$20,926).
Livability — Columbia, SC: 69 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Columbia vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($128 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbia, SC | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,444 | $26,784 | +$8,340 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $5,405 | +$608 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $4,075 | +$610 |
| Utilities | $1,848 | $1,548 | −$300 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,500 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $10,215 | $8,826 | −$1,389 |
| Total | $40,769 | $48,138 | +$7,369 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbia, SC | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.71% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.9% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $256,154 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $128 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,537 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 530 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |