Los Angeles vs Seattle Cost of Living
Seattle is approximately 3.3% cheaper than Los Angeles. See salary equivalence, taxes, and side-by-side breakdown.
Los Angeles, CA
Seattle, WA
| Salary in Los Angeles | Equivalent in Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,400 | -$1,600 (-3.2%) |
| $75,000 | $72,500 | -$2,500 (-3.3%) |
| $100,000 | $96,700 | -$3,300 (-3.3%) |
| $150,000 | $145,100 | -$4,900 (-3.3%) |
| $200,000 | $193,400 | -$6,600 (-3.3%) |
Los Angeles and Seattle cost within 3% of each other overall, so the decision between them is not really a financial one — it comes down to housing type, taxes, and how you want to get around.
Housing does most of the damage
Almost the entire gap between two cities is shelter. Tradable goods cost roughly the same everywhere; land does not. A one-bedroom runs about $2,300 a month in Los Angeles and $2,100 in Seattle — $200 a month apart, or $2,400 a year.
Taxes the index leaves out
Washington levies no state income tax; California does. On $100,000 that is commonly $4,000–$8,000 a year of take-home, enough to offset a real gap in rent. Cost-of-living indexes exclude income tax, so comparing them alone misleads here.
The offset is rarely free, though. States without an income tax usually recover it elsewhere — property tax rates in Washington and sales tax are the usual places to look. If you plan to buy rather than rent, run the property tax number before assuming the no-income-tax state is cheaper.
Getting around
Los Angeles is served by limited transit; Seattle is workable without a car in many neighborhoods.
Work, weather, and what else is different
Los Angeles is a major metro of about 12.9M and roughly flat; Seattle is a large metro of about 4.0M and growing steadily.
Both metros have real employment in aerospace, which matters if you want to move without changing careers — your experience is legible to employers in both. Los Angeles also leans on entertainment/media and international trade & logistics, with employers like Walt Disney Company and Netflix. Seattle leans on technology and logistics, with Amazon and Microsoft (Redmond).
The part spreadsheets leave out. Los Angeles: Mild Mediterranean climate: January lows near 48°F, July highs near 84°F, minimal rainfall most of the year. Seattle: Marine climate with mild wet winters near 37°F lows and dry mild summers with July highs near 76°F.
No city income tax, but California's top state income tax rate is 13.3% and median home prices exceed $900K, among the highest of any large US metro. No Washington state income tax, a rarity for a major tech hub, though sales tax and housing costs are among the highest in the country.
Cost indexes derive from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities; rent, home prices and local tax rates are compiled from market and municipal sources. How these are compiled and updated.
Related tools
Paycheck calculator — take-home after federal, state and local tax. Salary calculator — hourly and annual conversion. Mortgage calculator — what a home in either metro actually costs monthly. Guide: the true cost of relocating.