Cost of Living Comparison Between Tacoma, WA and Seattle, WA 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Seattle, WA is 19.5% higher than in Tacoma, WA (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Seattle, WA is 22.8% higher than in Tacoma, WA
Rent Prices in Seattle, WA are 29.3% higher than in Tacoma, WA
Restaurant Prices in Seattle, WA are 29.7% higher than in Tacoma, WA
Groceries Prices in Seattle, WA are 16.6% higher than in Tacoma, WA
Local Purchasing Power in Seattle, WA is 11.2% higher than in Tacoma, WA
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 16.50 $ 25.00 $      +51.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 72.50 $ 120.00 $      +65.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.50 $ 14.00 $      +12.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 7.50 $ 7.75 $      +3.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 12.00 $ 8.00 $      -33.3 %
Cappuccino (regular) 6.06 $ 5.70 $      -5.9 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.92 $ 2.97 $      +1.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.25 $ 2.45 $      +8.8 %
Markets
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.30 $ 5.18 $      +20.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.82 $ 4.48 $      +17.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.75 $ 2.40 $      -36.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.84 $ 6.74 $      +39.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.23 $ 11.29 $      +115.9 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 7.34 $ 7.20 $      -1.9 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.70 $ 9.31 $      +7.1 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.35 $ 2.78 $      +18.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.76 $ 1.27 $      +67.7 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.27 $ 2.46 $      +8.4 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.27 $ 2.98 $      +31.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.50 $ 1.44 $      -3.6 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.27 $ 1.71 $      +34.5 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.96 $ 2.76 $      +40.7 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.96 $ 2.60 $      -12.1 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 16.00 $ 20.00 $      +25.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.73 $ 2.92 $      +68.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 6.49 $ 4.27 $      -34.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 11.00 $ 11.50 $      +4.5 %
Transportation
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $ 2.75 $      +10.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 62.00 $ 99.00 $      +59.7 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 2.60 $ 2.65 $      +1.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.70 $ 2.70 $      0.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $ 30.00 $      0.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.46 $ 4.44 $      -0.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 36,656.56 $ 33,000.00 $      -10.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,297.23 $ 26,031.68 $      -4.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 229.80 $ 266.06 $      +15.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 71.50 $ 60.74 $      -15.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 88.00 $ 75.28 $      -14.5 %
Sports And Leisure
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 51.67 $ 79.18 $      +53.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 15.00 $ 40.44 $      +169.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.50 $ 16.00 $      +3.2 %
Childcare
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,086.81 $ 2,250.00 $      +7.8 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 31,687.50 $ 29,375.00 $      -7.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 59.00 $ 69.46 $      +17.7 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 44.50 $ 52.83 $      +18.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 87.25 $ 117.73 $      +34.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 138.00 $ 141.36 $      +2.4 %
Rent Per Month
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,935.00 $ 2,347.55 $      +21.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,760.04 $ 1,864.81 $      +6.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,133.33 $ 4,663.64 $      +48.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,775.00 $ 3,537.16 $      +27.5 %
Buy Apartment Price
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 376.51 $ 665.42 $      +76.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 361.51 $ 480.62 $      +32.9 %
Salaries And Financing
Tacoma, WA Edit Seattle, WA Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,763.24 $ 6,507.88 $      +36.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.51 6.42      -1.3 %
Last update: 7 April 202517 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:21240