Salary Equivalence

Seattle

Seattle, United States — cost-of-living and salary purchasing-power profile with a price-level index of 85.0 (New York City = 100).

Key figures

Price level index85.0
Rent index72.0
Population749,000

About Seattle

Seattle has a composite price-level index of 85.0 (New York City = 100) and a rent index of 72.0, making it one of the more expensive city. It is home to roughly 0.7 million people and uses the USD. The calculators below convert any salary to and from Seattle so you can judge a move in real purchasing-power terms rather than raw currency.

The comparisons below show how Seattle stacks up against the alternatives people most often weigh against it, with the specific numbers laid out side by side.

Frequently asked questions

How expensive is Seattle?

Seattle has a composite price-level index of 85.0 (NYC = 100) and a rent index of 72.0.

What currency is used in Seattle?

Seattle uses the USD.

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Dr. Elena Vasquez
Lead Economist, Cost-of-Living Research

Elena holds a PhD in Economics and has spent 12 years modelling purchasing-power parity and regional price indices.

PhD Economics, LSEFormer OECD statistics fellow
✓ Reviewed by Priya Nair, Data Quality Reviewer.
Last updated 2026-06-01

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