Cost of Living: San Francisco, CA vs Seattle, WA
Seattle is about 4% cheaper than San Francisco overall.
Comparing San Francisco, CA and Seattle, WA across cost of living, rent, income, and the salary needed to live comfortably. Seattle has a lower overall price level, driven mainly by housing.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living index | 115.6 | 111.1 |
| Median rent | $2,419 | $1,998 |
| Rent, 1-bedroom (FMR) | $2,385 | $2,146 |
| Rent, 2-bedroom (FMR) | $2,912 | $2,501 |
| Median home value | $1,380,500 | $912,100 |
| Median household income | $141,446 | $121,984 |
| Salary needed (single) | $95,400 | $85,800 |
| Salary needed (family) | $149,000 | $130,900 |
Green highlights the more favorable value for each metric. Lower is better for costs; higher is better for income. Figures are estimates from public data (BEA, Census, HUD).
Which City Is More Affordable?
Overall, Seattle is the more affordable of the two, with a cost-of-living index of 111.1 versus 115.6 for San Francisco. The biggest difference is usually housing, where rents in San Francisco run noticeably higher.
You can read the full breakdown for each city on its own page: cost of living in San Francisco and cost of living in Seattle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in San Francisco or Seattle?
Seattle is about 4% cheaper than San Francisco overall, based on the BEA cost-of-living index (Seattle: 111.1 vs San Francisco: 115.6).
What is the rent difference between San Francisco and Seattle?
The median rent is $2,419 in San Francisco and $1,998 in Seattle.
How much salary do you need in San Francisco vs Seattle?
A single person needs about $95,400 in San Francisco and $85,800 in Seattle to live comfortably.
Data Sources
Cost-of-living index from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (Regional Price Parities). Income, rent, and home value from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-Year). Fair Market Rents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.