Fargo, ND vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Fargo to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $126,472 in Seattle, WA (+$26,472).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($193 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $26,784 | +$12,912 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $5,405 | +$556 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $4,075 | +$945 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $1,548 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,500 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $8,826 | +$743 |
| Total | $33,367 | $48,138 | +$14,772 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 4.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $58 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $70 | $167 |
| Home internet / mo | $88 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 37 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 22.6 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 50.0 | 6.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 47% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |