What does a cost-of-living index of 150 mean?

The US national average is set to 100. An index of 150 means living in Seattle costs about 50% more than the typical US city overall. Housing drives most of that gap, while groceries and healthcare are closer to average.

How is the equivalent salary calculated?

The tool multiplies your current salary by the ratio of the Seattle index to your origin city's index. Moving from a city at index 100 to Seattle at 150 means you need 1.5 times your salary to maintain the same purchasing power.

Which category costs the most in Seattle?

Housing is by far the largest gap, with an index well above 200 in many estimates, meaning Seattle housing costs roughly double the US average. Groceries, transport, and utilities are more modestly above average.

Is the index the same across all of Seattle?

No. The composite reflects the city overall, but neighborhoods vary widely. Downtown, Capitol Hill, and Queen Anne run higher, while areas farther from the core are more affordable. Treat the index as a citywide benchmark, not a per-block figure.

Does the index account for Washington having no income tax?

Standard cost-of-living indexes measure consumer prices, not taxes. Washington's lack of a state income tax can offset some of Seattle's higher costs for high earners, which this purchasing-power comparison does not capture on its own.

Seattle Cost-of-Living Index

Seattle is meaningfully more expensive than the typical American city, with a composite cost-of-living index around 150 against a US average of 100. This tool shows where that gap comes from across major spending categories and converts any salary into the Seattle-equivalent income you would need to hold your standard of living steady after a move.

How it works

A cost-of-living index expresses local prices relative to a national average of 100. To convert a salary between two cities you scale by the ratio of their indexes:

equivalent salary = current salary × (Seattle index / origin index)

Moving from a city at index 100 to Seattle at 150 means you need 1.5 times your income to break even. The composite is a weighted blend of housing, groceries, transportation, utilities, and healthcare — and in Seattle housing carries by far the highest sub-index, which is what pulls the overall figure up.

Example and tips

A $90,000 salary in an average US city (index 100) needs to become about $135,000 in Seattle (index 150) to preserve the same purchasing power. If you are moving from an already-expensive city, the gap shrinks: from a city at index 130 the Seattle-equivalent of $90,000 is roughly $103,800. Because housing dominates the index, your personal multiplier depends heavily on whether you rent in a high-demand core neighborhood or commute from a cheaper area.