Median rent is 20% lower in Seattle ($2,030/mo vs $2,544/mo). Buying is cheaper in Santa Clarita, where the median home runs $784,700 versus $938,600. Households earn more in Seattle ($123,860 vs $123,062 a year).
City A
Santa Clarita, CA
City B
Seattle, WA
How much would you need to earn in Seattle, WA to maintain your standard of living from Santa Clarita, CA?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Santa Clarita
California
Seattle
Washington
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rent is modestly lower in Seattle at $2,030/mo compared to $2,544/mo in Santa Clarita (20% gap). Median home values are within 16% of each other: $784,700 in Santa Clarita and $938,600 in Seattle.
1BR Fair Market Rent
2BR Fair Market Rent
BLS OEWS 2023 — metro-level data
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Santa Clarita
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Seattle
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Seattle has cleaner air on average: 52.0 AQI (Moderate) compared to 60.0 AQI (Moderate) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Seattle if you prioritize cheaper rent ($2,030/mo median).
Pick Seattle if you prioritize cleaner air quality (avg AQI 52.0).
Is Santa Clarita cheaper than Seattle?
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
How much is rent in Santa Clarita vs Seattle?
Median rent is $2,544/mo in Santa Clarita, CA and $2,030/mo in Seattle, WA. Seattle, WA has the lower rent by about 20%.
Which has higher salaries — Santa Clarita or Seattle?
Median household income is $123,062 in Santa Clarita, CA and $123,860 in Seattle, WA. Seattle, WA has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Which city has better air quality?
Seattle, WA has better air quality on average: 52.0 AQI versus 60.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
Which has lower taxes — Santa Clarita or Seattle?
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
What salary do I need in Seattle to match my Santa Clarita income?
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: December 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
