Moving from Bellingham to Seattle
Bellingham to Seattle: $1,135 more leftover
$3,386/mo leftover in Seattle vs $2,251 in Bellingham after tax and rent ($1,135 more). +$13,620 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Bellingham leftover
$2,251
a month after tax and rent
Seattle leftover
$3,386
+$1,135 vs Bellingham
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 1,484 households moved Bellingham → Seattle (about 1,936 people, average AGI $59,051). 1,696 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Bellingham | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,829 | $7,275 |
| Rent | $1,471 | $1,758 |
| All other costs | $2,107 | $2,131 |
| Left over | $2,251 | $3,386 |
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 Bellingham 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.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 112 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,650–$3,100
- Container or pod
- $1,100–$2,050
- Rent a truck
- $400–$750
Dig into Seattle
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Seattle than Bellingham?
A one-bedroom is about $1,471 in Bellingham versus $1,758 in Seattle. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,135 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.
Did people actually move from Bellingham to Seattle?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Bellingham → Seattle move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.