Tulsa, OK vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Tulsa to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($253,725 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Tulsa 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 Tulsa, OK, you'd need about $125,403 in Seattle, WA (+$25,403).
Livability — Tulsa, OK: 71 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,745 sqft in Tulsa vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($134 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tulsa, OK | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,224 | $26,784 | +$10,560 |
| Groceries | $4,667 | $5,405 | +$738 |
| Transportation | $3,575 | $4,075 | +$500 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,548 | +$108 |
| Insurance | $4,400 | $1,500 | −$2,900 |
| Taxes | $9,670 | $8,826 | −$843 |
| Total | $39,976 | $48,138 | +$8,163 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tulsa, OK | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.9 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.14% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.1% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $253,725 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $134 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,352 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.0% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.99% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.75% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.94% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,400 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 94 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |