Moving from Chicago, IL to Seattle, WA
Chicago to Seattle is a move of about 2,129 miles. Median rent is $2,000 a month in Seattle and $1,430 in Chicago, and the median home is $717,500 against $323,000. Seattle has no state income tax, against a flat 4.95% in Chicago. Property tax runs 0.85% of home value in Seattle and 1.98% in Chicago.
Moving to Seattle costs about
$240/mo
more than Chicago each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Seattle has no state income tax, and it still costs more
Moving to Seattle would save you about $318 a month in state income tax. It also costs about $558 a month more in everything else, so you end up roughly $240 a month worse off. No income tax does not mean no taxes.
Chicago vs Seattle at a glance
| Chicago | Seattle | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $323,000 | $717,500 |
| Median rent | $1,430/mo | $2,000/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 4.95% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 1.98% | 0.85% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 107 | 104 |
| Utilities | 84 | 93 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Chicago vs Seattle
| Monthly | Chicago | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,430 | $2,000 | +$570 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $318 | $0 | -$318 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $96 | $103 | +$7 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,966 | $1,906 | -$60 |
| Utilities | $341 | $379 | +$38 |
| Total | +$237 | ||
Cost to move from Chicago to Seattle
$3,500 to $7,600
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $950 to $1,400, against roughly $650 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 4-day trip yourself.
Housing and everyday prices here are for the metro area. Income and sales tax are set by state law and have no metro equivalent, so those come from Illinois and Washington. Compare the whole states instead to see how each metro sits against the state it is in.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Seattle, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Housing and price figures are metro-area medians or averages; income and sales tax are statewide. Neither will match any particular household.