Moving from Seattle, WA to Boston, MA
Seattle to Boston is a move of about 3,076 miles. Median rent is $2,023 a month in Boston and $2,000 in Seattle, and the median home is $646,300 against $717,500. Seattle has no state income tax, against a flat 5.00% in Boston. Property tax runs 1.06% of home value in Boston and 0.85% in Seattle.
Moving to Boston costs about
$490/mo
more than Seattle each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Utilities cost 60% more in Boston
Power, gas and water run about $228 a month more in Boston than in Seattle. It is the cost people forget to check, and over a year it is roughly $2,742.
Seattle vs Boston at a glance
| Seattle | Boston | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $717,500 | $646,300 |
| Median rent | $2,000/mo | $2,023/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Flat 5.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 1.06% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 104 | 100 |
| Utilities | 93 | 149 |
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: Seattle vs Boston
| Monthly | Seattle | Boston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $2,000 | $2,023 | +$23 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $0 | $315 | +$315 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $103 | $100 | -$3 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,906 | $1,827 | -$79 |
| Utilities | $379 | $607 | +$228 |
| Total | +$484 | ||
Cost to move from Seattle to Boston
$4,600 to $9,700
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $1,150 to $1,600, against roughly $1,050 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 6-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 Washington and Massachusetts. 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 Boston, 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.