Seattle, Washington Cost Of Living

Buy Rent

F

Overall 56%

Goods & Services 29%

Housing 124%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2020 and was released from C2ER in January, 2021; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Seattle	Washington	National
Cost of living	156	118	100
Goods & Services	129	112	100
Groceries	128	109	100
Health care	128	121	100
Housing	224	135	100
Transportation	141	123	100
Utilities	109	91	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Seattle is 33% higher than the Washington average
The cost of living in Seattle is 56% higher than the national average
Seattle housing is 124% higher than the national average
Washington general sales tax is 28% higher than the national average
Washington state income tax is 100% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$111,477	$9,290	$2,601	$3,345
Renters	$51,326	$4,277	$1,198	$1,540

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Seattle, WA, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Seattle have a median income of $111,477. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $2,601 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $51,326, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $1,198.

Washington Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Washington	6.5%	10.4%

Washington Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Washington	0%	0%

Goods & Services

Item	Seattle	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$39.33	$18.62	111.2%
Beauty Salon	$50.33	$39.05	28.9%
Toothpaste	$3.44	$2.34	47.1%
Shampoo	$1.13	$1.06	6.9%
Movie	$14.70	$10.68	37.6%
Bowling	$21.80	$14.67	48.6%

Groceries

Item	Seattle	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.74	$4.22	36.0%
Fried Chicken	$2.15	$1.39	55.1%
Milk	$2.50	$2.05	22.0%
Potatoes	$3.50	$3.29	6.3%
Pizza	$13.12	$10.62	23.5%
Beer	$10.49	$9.38	11.8%

Health Care

Item	Seattle	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$158.73	$108.57	46.2%
Doctor	$136.39	$116.17	17.4%
Dentist	$143.77	$99.13	45.0%
Ibuprofen	$11.56	$9.68	19.5%
Lipitor	$478.09	$466.92	2.4%

Housing

Item	Seattle	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$484,600.00	$184,700.00	162.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,847.37	$1,197.42	137.8%
Apartment Rent	$1,266.00	$949.00	33.4%

Transportation

Item	Seattle	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.19	$2.22	43.6%
Tire Balancing	$66.49	$50.07	32.8%

Utilities

Item	Seattle	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$186.95	$167.67	11.5%
Phone	$194.23	$175.64	10.6%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Navy Yard City, WA	3,131	113	13%
Bremerton, WA	39,388	118	18%
Enetai, WA	2,234	121	21%
Parkwood, WA	6,535	122	22%
Rocky Point, WA	1,801	122	22%
Seattle, WA	668,849	156	56%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Denver, CO	663,303	116	16%
El Paso, TX	678,058	90	-10%
Washington, DC	659,009	151	51%
Boston, MA	658,279	146	46%
Memphis, TN	655,857	81	-19%
Seattle, WA	668,849	156	56%

Source: The Seattle, WA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2020.