Los Angeles, CA vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Los Angeles to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($968,608 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles, CA, you'd need about $82,690 in Seattle, WA (−$17,310).
Livability — Los Angeles, CA: 42 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 774 sqft in Los Angeles vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($646 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Los Angeles, CA | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $34,908 | $26,784 | −$8,124 |
| Groceries | $5,354 | $5,405 | +$51 |
| Transportation | $5,125 | $4,075 | −$1,050 |
| Utilities | $7,320 | $5,244 | −$2,076 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,826 | $3,283 | −$5,543 |
| Total | $61,713 | $44,971 | −$16,741 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Los Angeles, CA: 8.8% · Seattle, WA: 3.3% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Los Angeles, CA | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 114.7 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.59% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -1.1% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 80 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.53 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $968,608 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 10.9× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.3% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $646 | $417 |
| Median rent | $2,909 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 13.5% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.82% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 13.30% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.69% | 0.88% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.9 yrs | 79.8 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,600 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 8.9% | 6.2% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 81 | 95 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $19,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.65% | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 21 | 2 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 1 | 0 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 72% | 53% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 30 |
| Commute by driving alone | 67.1% | 59.5% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,600 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 100.0 — Very High | 99.0 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $950 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 35.3 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.85 | 4.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $58 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $138 | $167 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 500 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 45 | 37 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 14.3 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 6.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 73% | 47% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 5 |
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