Seattle, WA vs Washington, DC
Moving from Seattle to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($750,279 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Seattle vs Washington 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 $97,172 in Washington, DC (−$2,828).
Livability — Seattle, WA: 48 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,200 sqft in Seattle vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($417 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,784 | $28,992 | +$2,208 |
| Groceries | $5,405 | $5,318 | −$88 |
| Transportation | $4,075 | $3,855 | −$220 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $2,748 | +$1,200 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,400 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $8,826 | $17,710 | +$8,884 |
| Total | $48,138 | $60,023 | +$11,884 |
Side by side
| Metric | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.7 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.59% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.1% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.41 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $750,279 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.0× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $417 | $389 |
| Median rent | $2,232 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.7% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.38% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.00% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.88% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $700 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.55 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 375 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 76 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 37 | 29 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 4 |