Manchester, NH vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Manchester to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $106,731 in Seattle, WA (+$6,731).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($292 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $26,784 | +$1,152 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $5,405 | +$470 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $4,075 | +$1,120 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $1,548 | −$1,392 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,500 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $8,826 | +$2,145 |
| Total | $44,143 | $48,138 | +$3,995 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $417 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 5 |