Moving from Boston to Olympia
You'd keep $914 more a month in Olympia
+$10,968 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Boston leftover
$1,880
a month after tax and rent
Olympia leftover
$2,794
+$914 vs Boston
| Per month | Boston | Olympia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,042 | $8,200 | −$842 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,416 | $1,732 | −$683 |
| Take-home pay | $6,626 | $6,467 | −$158 |
| Rent | $2,619 | $1,575 | −$1,044 |
| Getting around | $445 | $541 | +$96 |
| Groceries | $464 | $430 | −$34 |
| Healthcare | $522 | $483 | −$39 |
| Utilities | $290 | $269 | −$21 |
| Everything else | $406 | $376 | −$30 |
| Left over | $1,880 | $2,794 | +$914 |
To break even in Olympia, you'd need to earn
$83,000
Household gross, versus $108,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Boston does now.
The tax difference alone
+$5,205
A year, in state and local income tax. Washington has no wage income tax.
More about Olympia
Boston, MA in full
Great pay in medicine and research, brutal winters, tight housing stock.
Olympia, WA in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,875 and 156 sunny days; commutes average 26 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Olympia on Olympia wages.
Olympia → Boston →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Olympia than Boston?
A one-bedroom is about $2,619 in Boston versus $1,575 in Olympia. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $914 a month higher in Olympia. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Olympia have state income tax?
Olympia is in Washington, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Boston to Olympia?
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.
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.