Seattle, WA vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Seattle to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($750,279 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Seattle vs Chicago at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Seattle, WA, you'd need about $104,369 in Chicago, IL (+$4,369).
Livability — Seattle, WA: 48 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,200 sqft in Seattle vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($417 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Seattle, WA | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,784 | $27,192 | +$408 |
| Groceries | $5,405 | $5,215 | −$190 |
| Transportation | $4,075 | $3,550 | −$525 |
| Utilities | $5,244 | $4,800 | −$444 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $3,283 | $8,051 | +$4,768 |
| Total | $44,971 | $48,988 | +$4,017 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Seattle, WA: 3.3% · Chicago, IL: 8.1% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Seattle, WA | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.7 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.59% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.1% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.41 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $750,279 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.0× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $417 | $208 |
| Median rent | $2,232 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 10.7% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.38% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.00% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.88% | 2.11% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.8 yrs | 78.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 6.2% | 8.4% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 95 | 85 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 2 | 18 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 53% | 96% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 31 |
| Commute by driving alone | 59.5% | 63.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 99.0 — Relatively High | 97.1 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $700 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.55 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $58 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $167 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 375 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 76 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 37 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 39.3 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 6.3 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 47% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 4 |
Ad · affiliate links
Find a job in Seattle or Chicago
Openings in each metro, so you can check what your salary actually looks like before you move.