Moving from Seattle, WA to San Francisco, CA
Seattle to San Francisco is a move of about 840 miles. Median rent is $2,474 a month in San Francisco and $2,000 in Seattle, and the median home is $1,140,700 against $717,500. Seattle has no state income tax, against up to 13.30% in San Francisco. Property tax runs 0.75% of home value in San Francisco and 0.85% in Seattle.
Moving to San Francisco costs about
$1,200/mo
more than Seattle each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Homes cost 1.6x more in San Francisco, but the tax rate is lower
San Francisco taxes property at 0.75% against 0.85% in Seattle. Despite the far higher prices, the yearly bill only rises to about $8,521 from $6,092.
Seattle vs San Francisco at a glance
| Seattle | San Francisco | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $717,500 | $1,140,700 |
| Median rent | $2,000/mo | $2,474/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Up to 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.75% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 104 | 108 |
| Utilities | 93 | 173 |
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 San Francisco
| Monthly | Seattle | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $2,000 | $2,474 | +$474 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $0 | $298 | +$298 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $103 | $124 | +$21 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,906 | $1,989 | +$83 |
| Utilities | $379 | $705 | +$326 |
| Total | +$1,202 | ||
Cost to move from Seattle to San Francisco
$2,100 to $4,700
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $600 to $900, against roughly $250 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-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 California. 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 San Francisco, 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.