Ann Arbor vs Seattle leftover
You'd keep $1,296 more a month in Seattle
$3,398/mo leftover in Seattle vs $2,102 in Ann Arbor after tax and rent ($1,296 more). +$15,552 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Ann Arbor leftover
$2,102
a month after tax and rent
Seattle leftover
$3,398
+$1,296 vs Ann Arbor
Compare Ann Arbor to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Ann Arbor.
Monthly gap
Ann Arbor → Seattle
$1,296
more / month in Seattle
$3,398 in Seattle · $2,102 in Ann Arbor · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 199 households moved Ann Arbor → Seattle (avg AGI $102,307). 84 went the other way. The whole move →
+$1,296 / mo
| Per month | Ann Arbor | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,125 | $9,365 | +$2,240 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,768 | $2,078 | +$310 |
| Take-home pay | $5,357 | $7,287 | +$1,930 |
| Rent | $1,492 | $1,758 | +$266 |
| Getting around | $394 | $493 | +$99 |
| Groceries | $378 | $452 | +$74 |
| Healthcare | $425 | $508 | +$83 |
| Utilities | $236 | $283 | +$47 |
| Everything else | $330 | $395 | +$65 |
| Left over | $2,102 | $3,398 | +$1,296 |
To break even in Seattle, you'd need to earn
$90,500
Household gross, versus $85,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Ann Arbor does now.
The tax difference alone
+$4,251
A year, in state and local income tax. Washington has no wage income tax.
More about Seattle
Ann Arbor, MI in full
A flat 4.25% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,776 and 173 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
Seattle, WA in full
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Seattle on Seattle wages.
Seattle → Ann Arbor →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Seattle than Ann Arbor?
A one-bedroom is about $1,492 in Ann Arbor versus $1,758 in Seattle. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,296 a month higher in Seattle. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Seattle have state income tax?
Seattle is in Washington, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Ann Arbor to Seattle?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Washington tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Ann Arbor and Seattle moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.