Seattle vs Ames leftover
Moving to Ames costs you $992 a month
$2,413/mo leftover in Ames vs $3,405 in Seattle after tax and rent ($992 less). −$11,904 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Seattle leftover
$3,405
a month after tax and rent
Ames leftover
$2,413
−$992 vs Seattle
Compare Seattle to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Seattle.
Monthly gap
Seattle → Ames
$992
less / month in Seattle
$2,413 in Ames · $3,405 in Seattle · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$992 / mo
| Per month | Seattle | Ames | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,375 | $6,227 | −$3,148 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,081 | $1,338 | −$743 |
| Take-home pay | $7,294 | $4,889 | −$2,405 |
| Rent | $1,758 | $760 | −$998 |
| Getting around | $493 | $457 | −$36 |
| Groceries | $452 | $347 | −$105 |
| Healthcare | $508 | $391 | −$117 |
| Utilities | $283 | $217 | −$66 |
| Everything else | $395 | $304 | −$91 |
| Left over | $3,405 | $2,413 | −$992 |
To break even in Ames, you'd need to earn
$92,500
Household gross, versus $112,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Seattle does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,285
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.2% in Seattle, 21.5% in Ames.
More about Ames
Seattle, WA in full
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
Ames, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $905 and 207 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Ames on Ames wages.
Ames → Seattle →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Ames than Seattle?
A one-bedroom is about $1,758 in Seattle versus $760 in Ames. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $992 a month lower in Ames. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Ames have state income tax?
Ames is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Seattle to Ames?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Iowa 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 Seattle and Ames 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.