Is New York cheaper than Seattle?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the New York and Seattle metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, New York or Seattle?

Seattle has the higher median household income — $112,388 versus $99,852 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 13% more.

Does a paycheck go further in New York or Seattle?

A paycheck stretches further in Seattle. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $101,129 there versus $88,708 in New York.

Which has cheaper rent, New York or Seattle?

New York has cheaper rent — a median of $1,851/mo versus $2,050/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

New York vs Seattle

Metro-area medians — New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area vs Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Seattle comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

New York and Seattle cost about the same to live in, but Seattle households earn about 13% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Seattle.

Their widest everyday difference: the typical commute is shorter in Seattle — about 30 min versus 36.5 min.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

New York, NY

$57,794

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$51,343

real value after local prices

Seattle, WA

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$55,171

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Seattle leaves you about $3,828/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

New York

Seattle

Livability (CityLedger)

56/100

78/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

112.6

111.1

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$88,708

$101,129

Median household income

$99,852

$112,388

Median rent

$1,851/mo

$2,050/mo

Median home value

$648,800

$743,000

Unemployment

5.7%

4.7%

Bachelor's degree or higher

45%

48.5%

Average commute

36.5 min

30 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

57°F

54°F

Choose New York for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value

Full New York profile →

Choose Seattle for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Seattle profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to New York and Seattle on cost, income, size, and education.

New York vs Los Angeles→New York vs Washington→New York vs Miami→Seattle vs Boston→Seattle vs Denver→Seattle vs San Diego→

New York vs Seattle — frequently asked

Is New York cheaper than Seattle?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the New York and Seattle metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, New York or Seattle?: Seattle has the higher median household income — $112,388 versus $99,852 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 13% more.
Does a paycheck go further in New York or Seattle?: A paycheck stretches further in Seattle. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $101,129 there versus $88,708 in New York.
Which has cheaper rent, New York or Seattle?: New York has cheaper rent — a median of $1,851/mo versus $2,050/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).