Seattle, WA vs Prescott Valley, AZ
Moving from Seattle to Prescott Valley? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($750,279 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Seattle vs Prescott Valley 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 $84,801 in Prescott Valley, AZ (−$15,199).
Livability — Seattle, WA: 48 · Prescott Valley, AZ: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,200 sqft in Seattle vs 2,500 sqft in Prescott Valley ($417 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Seattle, WA | Prescott Valley, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,784 | $22,488 | −$4,296 |
| Groceries | $5,405 | $4,841 | −$565 |
| Transportation | $4,075 | $3,960 | −$115 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $1,668 | +$120 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,800 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $8,826 | $7,104 | −$1,722 |
| Total | $48,138 | $41,861 | −$6,278 |
Side by side
| Metric | Seattle, WA | Prescott Valley, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.7 | 95.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.59% | 4.91% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.1% | 3.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.41 | $5.44 |
| Median home price | $750,279 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.0× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $417 | $200 |
| Median rent | $2,232 | $1,874 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.7% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.38% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.00% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.88% | 0.47% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $700 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.55 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 375 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 76 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 37 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |