Salt Lake City vs Seattle Cost of Living
Seattle is approximately 15.7% more expensive than Salt Lake City. See salary equivalence, taxes, and side-by-side breakdown.
Salt Lake City, UT
Seattle, WA
| Salary in Salt Lake City | Equivalent in Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $57,800 | +$7,800 (+15.6%) |
| $75,000 | $86,800 | +$11,800 (+15.7%) |
| $100,000 | $115,700 | +$15,700 (+15.7%) |
| $150,000 | $173,500 | +$23,500 (+15.7%) |
| $200,000 | $231,400 | +$31,400 (+15.7%) |
Seattle costs about 16% more day to day, but Seattle has no state income tax while Utah does — which can reverse the comparison once you look at take-home rather than sticker prices.
Housing does most of the damage
Strip out housing and most US metros cost about the same. Housing is where the difference lives. A one-bedroom runs about $1,350 a month in Salt Lake City and $2,100 in Seattle — $750 a month apart, or $9,000 a year.
Ownership widens the gap. $530,000 buys the median home in Salt Lake City; $830,000 does in Seattle. The down payment alone differs by roughly $60,000, and that is before Utah and Washington property tax rates diverge.
Taxes the index leaves out
One of these states taxes income and the other does not — Utah does, Washington does not. At $100,000 the swing is usually $4,000–$8,000 in what actually reaches your account, and no cost-of-living index captures it.
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
Salt Lake City is served by limited transit; Seattle is workable without a car in many neighborhoods.
Work, weather, and what else is different
Salt Lake City is a mid-size metro of about 1.3M and growing fast; Seattle is a large metro of about 4.0M and growing steadily.
Both metros have real employment in healthcare, which matters if you want to move without changing careers — your experience is legible to employers in both. Salt Lake City also leans on technology (Silicon Slopes) and finance, with employers like University of Utah Health and Intermountain Healthcare. Seattle leans on technology and aerospace, with Amazon and Microsoft (Redmond).
Weather is not a rounding error when you actually live somewhere. Salt Lake City: Four-season climate with cold snowy winters near 22°F lows and hot dry summers with July highs near 92°F. Seattle: Marine climate with mild wet winters near 37°F lows and dry mild summers with July highs near 76°F.
Anchors the 'Silicon Slopes' tech corridor stretching south to Lehi/Provo, one of the fastest-growing tech job markets outside the coasts. 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.
Overall cost ratios come from BEA Regional Price Parities. Housing figures track published market data and local tax rates come from the municipalities themselves. 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.