Cost of Living: Bellevue, WA vs Seattle, WA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,516/mo in Bellevue, WA versus $4,516/mo in Seattle, WA. In the model, rent is about 36.5% of gross in Bellevue, WA versus 29.11% in Seattle, WA, so Seattle, WA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Bellevue, WA
$4,516/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Seattle, WA
$4,516/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Bellevue, WA
36.5%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Seattle, WA
29.11%
COLI tier: very high-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Bellevue, WA and Seattle, WA.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Bellevue, WA
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Seattle, WA
  • Lower home prices: Seattle, WA
  • Higher median household income: Bellevue, WA

Cost of Living Index

Bellevue, WA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Seattle, WA: 152.4 (U.S. = 100)

Bellevue, WA has a lower cost-of-living index than Seattle, WA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Bellevue, WA: $2,380/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Seattle, WA: $1,898/mo

Median rent in Bellevue, WA is $482/mo higher than in Seattle, WA.

Median Home Price

Bellevue, WA: $1,203,100 · Seattle, WA: $912,100

Median home price in Bellevue, WA is $291,000 higher than in Seattle, WA.

Median Household Income

Bellevue, WA: $161,300 · Seattle, WA: $121,984

Bellevue, WA has a higher median household income than Seattle, WA by $39,316.

Bellevue, WA overview · Seattle, WA overview · Popular comparisons