Moving to Washington from California
What to Expect
Considering a move from California to Washington? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from California to Washington, you would find that Washington is 11.5% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $66,400 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Seattle averages 60°F vs 75°F in Los Angeles, making it significantly cooler. Los Angeles and Seattle are about 960 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Washington? Get a shortlist of towns in Washington that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Washington cheaper than California?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 2.7% less
Groceries
pay 10.0% less
Transportation
pay 4.2% less
Housing
pay 20.6% less
Childcare
pay 2.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.8% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Washington?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Washington cost about 22% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Washington compared to California.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
California generally does better on safety, though Washington leads in violent crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Washington performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington performs significantly better than California across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Washington leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington performs significantly better than California across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Washington vs California
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Los Angeles | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) | 50°/38°F (10°/3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 64°/47°F (18°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) | 74°/55°F (23°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 52°/41°F (11°/5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Los Angeles | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) | 47°/37°F (8.4°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) | 50°/37°F (9.9°/2.7°C) |
| Mar | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) | 54°/39°F (12.1°/4.1°C) |
| Apr | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) | 58°/42°F (14.7°/5.7°C) |
| May | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) | 65°/47°F (18.2°/8.5°C) |
| Jun | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 70°/52°F (21.1°/11.1°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) | 76°/56°F (24.3°/13.1°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.3°C) |
| Sep | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.2°C) |
| Oct | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) | 60°/46°F (15.4°/7.7°C) |
| Nov | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) | 51°/40°F (10.5°/4.4°C) |
| Dec | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) | 46°/36°F (7.6°/2.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than California?
On average Washington is about 11% less expensive than California, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
Budget about $16,600 for 3 months in Washington (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Washington safe?
California generally does better on safety, though Washington leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to California?
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to California?
The average high temperature in Seattle is 60°F, compared to 75°F in Los Angeles. Seattle receives around 37.5 in of rainfall per year, while Los Angeles gets 14.9 in.
