Portland vs Seattle leftover
You'd keep $1,458 more a month in Seattle
$3,399/mo leftover in Seattle vs $1,941 in Portland after tax and rent ($1,458 more). +$17,496 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Portland leftover
$1,941
a month after tax and rent
Seattle leftover
$3,399
+$1,458 vs Portland
Compare Portland to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Portland.
Monthly gap
Portland → Seattle
$1,458
more / month in Seattle
$3,399 in Seattle · $1,941 in Portland · 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, 56 households moved Portland → Seattle (avg AGI $55,411). 49 went the other way. The whole move →
+$1,458 / mo
| Per month | Portland | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,875 | $9,366 | +$1,491 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,070 | $2,078 | +$8 |
| Take-home pay | $5,805 | $7,288 | +$1,482 |
| Rent | $1,867 | $1,758 | −$109 |
| Getting around | $510 | $493 | −$17 |
| Groceries | $410 | $452 | +$42 |
| Healthcare | $462 | $508 | +$46 |
| Utilities | $257 | $283 | +$26 |
| Everything else | $359 | $395 | +$36 |
| Left over | $1,941 | $3,399 | +$1,458 |
To break even in Seattle, you'd need to earn
$87,500
Household gross, versus $94,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Portland does now.
The tax difference alone
+$5,204
A year, in state and local income tax. Washington has no wage income tax.
More about Seattle
Portland, ME in full
State income tax topping out at 7.15%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $2,223 and 185 sunny days; commutes average 25 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 → Portland →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Seattle than Portland?
A one-bedroom is about $1,867 in Portland versus $1,758 in Seattle. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,458 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 Portland 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 Portland 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.