Fort Wayne, IN vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Fort Wayne to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($259,816 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne, IN, you'd need about $125,608 in Seattle, WA (+$25,608).
Livability — Fort Wayne, IN: 72 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,658 sqft in Fort Wayne vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($137 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fort Wayne, IN | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,168 | $26,784 | +$11,616 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $5,405 | +$665 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $4,075 | +$825 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,548 | −$384 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,500 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $6,922 | $8,826 | +$1,904 |
| Total | $33,612 | $48,138 | +$14,526 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fort Wayne, IN | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.7 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.76% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -2.2% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $259,816 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $137 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,264 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.81% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |