Moving to Washington from United States
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from United States to Washington — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from United States to Washington, you would find that Washington is 5.5% more expensive than United States overall. A $75,000 salary in United States would need to be roughly $66,848 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from United States to Washington.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,848
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 4.2% more
Groceries
pay 1.8% more
Transportation
pay 8.2% more
Housing
pay 2.6% more
Childcare
pay 14.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.4% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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 15% less than cities in United States.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How United States and Washington stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Washington performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Washington performs significantly better than United States across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though United States leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
United States performs better than Washington across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Washington | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than United States?
Generally yes: Washington runs about 11% cheaper than United States on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,712 in Washington for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Washington?
Working remotely from Washington's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in United States and Washington.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to United States?
Washington performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to United States?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
What language do they speak in Washington?
Both United States and Washington share the same official language: English.
