Compare / San Francisco to Seattle
San Francisco, CA vs Seattle, WA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $1,148 a month in Seattle.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $1,148: San Francisco is higher at $3,697 versus $2,549.
California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Washington has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 0.5 percentage points, higher in Washington. The effective property tax gap is 0.08 percentage points, higher in Washington.
After a move from California to Washington, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in San Francisco lines up with about $72,094 in Seattle on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
San Francisco
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $3,697
- HUD area
- San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,435
- All-items price parity
- 115.6
- Goods price parity
- 108.5
- Utilities price parity
- 172.6
- Mean commute
- 32.7 min
- Median household income
- $135,590
Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,549
- HUD area
- Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,050
- All-items price parity
- 111.1
- Goods price parity
- 104.0
- Utilities price parity
- 92.8
- Mean commute
- 30.0 min
- Median household income
- $112,388
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$72,094
Salary in Seattle that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$67,798
Gross salary in Seattle whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$51,711
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | California | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 13.30% | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 9.0% | 9.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.71% | 0.79% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,828 a year in California and $3,141 in Washington. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Washington
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in California and once in Washington. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
San FranciscoLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
San FranciscoLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
WIC
San FranciscoLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
School meals
San FranciscoLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
LIHEAP
San FranciscoMaybe
SeattleMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
San FranciscoLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
San FranciscoLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
San FranciscoUnlikely
SeattleUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
San FranciscoLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
SSI
San FranciscoUnlikely
SeattleUnlikely
| Program | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From San Francisco
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from San Francisco.
- San Francisco and McAllen · rent gap $2,680
- San Francisco and Wichita · rent gap $2,654
- San Francisco and Little Rock · rent gap $2,576
- San Francisco and Toledo · rent gap $2,552
- San Francisco and El Paso · rent gap $2,551
- San Francisco and Baton Rouge · rent gap $2,548
- San Francisco and Columbia · rent gap $2,471
- San Francisco and Tulsa · rent gap $2,468
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.