Salem, OR vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Salem to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($454,689 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Salem 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 Salem, OR, you'd need about $110,025 in Seattle, WA (+$10,025).
Livability — Salem, OR: 59 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,869 sqft in Salem vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($268 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Salem, OR | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,536 | $26,784 | +$7,248 |
| Groceries | $5,239 | $5,405 | +$166 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $4,075 | +$395 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,548 | −$156 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,500 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $13,135 | $8,826 | −$4,309 |
| Total | $44,194 | $48,138 | +$3,944 |
Side by side
| Metric | Salem, OR | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.41% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 35 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $454,689 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.3× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.4% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $268 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,628 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 5 |