Seattle, WA vs Fargo, ND
Moving from Seattle to Fargo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($750,279 → $327,854 median home) and taxes.
Seattle vs Fargo 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 Seattle, WA, you'd need about $79,069 in Fargo, ND (−$20,931).
Livability — Seattle, WA: 48 · Fargo, ND: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,200 sqft in Seattle vs 2,592 sqft in Fargo ($417 vs $193 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Seattle, WA | Fargo, ND | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,784 | $13,872 | −$12,912 |
| Groceries | $5,405 | $4,850 | −$556 |
| Transportation | $4,075 | $3,130 | −$945 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $1,332 | −$216 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $2,100 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $8,826 | $8,083 | −$743 |
| Total | $48,138 | $33,367 | −$14,772 |
Side by side
| Metric | Seattle, WA | Fargo, ND |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.7 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.59% | 3.11% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.1% | 8.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.41 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $750,279 | $327,854 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.0× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | 3.2% |
| Price per square foot | $417 | $193 |
| Median rent | $2,232 | $1,156 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.7% | 8.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.38% | 7.04% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.00% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.88% | 1.20% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 18 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $700 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 12.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.55 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 375 | 290 |
| Avg summer high °F | 76 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 37 | -2 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |