Cost of Living Comparison
Seattle, WA vs Phoenix, AZ
A side-by-side look at what it actually costs to live in Seattle, WA compared to Phoenix, AZ — housing, salary, tax, and family-of-living metrics powered by FuturePath City Intelligence.
Moving from
Seattle, WA
Pacific NW · United States
78FuturePath Score
Tech-heavy market with no state income tax.
Moving to
Phoenix, AZ
Mountain · United States
82FuturePath Score
Fast-growing sunbelt market with rising demand.
Metric
Seattle, WA
Phoenix, AZ
Change
Median rent (monthly)
$2,350
$1,500
-36.2%
Median home price
$780K
$425K
-45.5%
Median salary
$110,000
$78,000
-29.1%
Effective tax rate
25.1%
24.4%
-0.7 pts
Childcare (monthly)
$1,850
$1,250
-32.4%
Mortgage burden
44.1%
30.2%
-13.9 pts
Cost-of-living score
68
78
+10
Overall score
78
82
+4
Migration momentum
76
88
+12
The quick take
Phoenix, AZ scores higher overall (+4).
- Rent: -36.2% vs Seattle, WA
- Salary: -29.1% vs Seattle, WA
- Cost-of-living score: +10 (higher = more affordable)
Should you make the move?
These numbers are city-wide averages. FuturePath simulates your income, savings, household, and career path against both cities to score affordability, life readiness, and decision confidence.
Run a personalized scenarioExplore city profiles: Seattle, WA · Phoenix, AZ