Moving to California from Washington
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Washington to California — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Washington to California, you would find that California is 12.9% more expensive than Washington. A $75,000 salary in Washington would need to be roughly $84,700 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Los Angeles averages 75°F vs 60°F in Seattle, making it significantly warmer. Seattle and Los Angeles are about 960 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to California? Get a shortlist of towns in California that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is California cheaper than Washington?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.7% more
Groceries
pay 11.2% more
Transportation
pay 4.4% more
Housing
pay 26.0% more
Childcare
pay 2.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.2% 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.
What salary do you need in California?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $84,700
To maintain the same standard of living in California
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 California cost about 28% more than cities in Washington.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Washington to California.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Washington generally does better on safety, though California leads in property 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 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 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
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though California leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington performs 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 California vs Washington
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Seattle | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/38°F (10°/3°C) | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/47°F (18°/8°C) | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 74°/55°F (23°/13°C) | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/41°F (11°/5°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Seattle | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/37°F (8.4°/2.7°C) | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) |
| Feb | 50°/37°F (9.9°/2.7°C) | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) |
| Mar | 54°/39°F (12.1°/4.1°C) | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) |
| Apr | 58°/42°F (14.7°/5.7°C) | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) |
| May | 65°/47°F (18.2°/8.5°C) | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 70°/52°F (21.1°/11.1°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 76°/56°F (24.3°/13.1°C) | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) |
| Aug | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.3°C) | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) |
| Sep | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.2°C) | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) |
| Oct | 60°/46°F (15.4°/7.7°C) | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) |
| Nov | 51°/40°F (10.5°/4.4°C) | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 46°/36°F (7.6°/2.0°C) | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Washington?
No — California is on average about 13% more expensive than Washington. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,175 in California on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is California safe?
Washington generally does better on safety, though California leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in California compared to Washington?
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in California compared to Washington?
The average high temperature in Los Angeles is 75°F, compared to 60°F in Seattle. Los Angeles receives around 14.9 in of rainfall per year, while Seattle gets 37.5 in.
