Seattle, WA vs Tampa, FL
Simple answer
You'd likely save $632 a month in Tampa.
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 $632: Seattle is higher at $2,549 versus $1,917.
Washington has no tax on wages. Florida has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 2.5 percentage points, higher in Washington. The effective property tax gap is 0.03 percentage points, higher in Washington.
After a move from Washington to Florida, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: Marketplace premium tax credits, Medicaid and CHIP.
A $75,000 salary in Seattle lines up with about $68,087 in Tampa on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
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
Tampa
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,917
- HUD area
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,776
- All-items price parity
- 100.9
- Goods price parity
- 95.5
- Utilities price parity
- 88.5
- Mean commute
- 29.4 min
- Median household income
- $78,275
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.
$68,087
Salary in Tampa that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$66,930
Gross salary in Tampa whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$56,404
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 | Washington | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | No wage tax | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 9.5% | 7.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.79% | 0.75% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $3,141 a year in Washington and $3,016 in Florida. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Florida
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Washington and once in Florida. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
SeattleLikely eligible
TampaLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
SeattleLikely eligible
TampaLikely eligible
WIC
SeattleLikely eligible
TampaLikely eligible
School meals
SeattleLikely eligible
TampaLikely eligible
LIHEAP
SeattleMaybe
TampaMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
SeattleLikely eligible
TampaLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
SeattleLikely eligible
TampaLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
SeattleUnlikely
TampaLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
SeattleLikely eligible
TampaLikely eligible
SSI
SeattleUnlikely
TampaUnlikely
| Program | Seattle | Tampa |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Marketplace premium tax credits changes. In Seattle the result is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” In Tampa it is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” Washington expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
Related comparisons
From Seattle
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Seattle.
- Seattle and McAllen · rent gap $1,532
- Seattle and Wichita · rent gap $1,506
- Seattle and Little Rock · rent gap $1,428
- Seattle and Toledo · rent gap $1,404
- Seattle and El Paso · rent gap $1,403
- Seattle and Baton Rouge · rent gap $1,400
- Seattle and Columbia · rent gap $1,323
- Seattle and Tulsa · rent gap $1,320
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.