Seattle's cost of living trails its suburbs by as much as 30%, study shows
Seattle's cost of living is as much as 30% less than some surrounding suburban areas.
The annual cost to live in Seattle is $86,890, which is 23% higher than the $70,886 in Enumclaw in South King County but 24% lower than the $114,611 in Issaquah and 30% lower than the $124,988 in Redmond, according to research from GOBankingRates.
The report analyzed the difference in cost of living in 25 major U.S. cities and their top three suburbs ranked by livability. The study also compares annual expenses to median household incomes to reveal where residents can save the most money.
The study identified 15 out of the 25 major metros that have lower annual cost of living than nearby suburbs with high livability scores. The other 14 were Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Boston, San Francisco, Detroit, Minneapolis, Denver, Baltimore, Orlando, Charlotte and San Antonio.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2026/01/02/city-lower-cost-of-living-vs-suburbs.html