# Seattle — relocation profile

Seattle, United States · Flawed democracy · livability 60/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $5,095/month
- **Livability score:** 60 / 100 (rank 97 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 52 / 100 (rank 100 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 37% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, Startup Cities, Rising Stars, Remote Work Visa Cities, Fresh Start Cities, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Tech Settler, Queer Settlers, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $2,442 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,959 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $4,680 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $6,476 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$5,095** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $15,943.

Reference point: 38% cheaper than New York.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 7.8
- **Regime type:** Flawed democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 6.8 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 10 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 13 years
- **English proficiency:** Very High (EF EPI 650)
- **Main languages:** English, Spanish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 14–24°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 3–9°C
- **Internet speed:** 185.0 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 80.0
- **Natural features:** lake, mountains_nearby, ocean

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $85,810 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 2.9% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 4.2% (2025)
- **Population:** 780,992

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Vancouver | Canada | $1,925 | $4,047 | /cities/vancouver |
| Geneva | Switzerland | $2,887 | $6,149 | /cities/geneva |
| Lausanne | Switzerland | $2,058 | $4,846 | /cities/lausanne |
| Lucerne | Switzerland | $2,173 | $5,232 | /cities/lucerne |
| Zurich | Switzerland | $3,006 | $6,265 | /cities/zurich |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/seattle
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/seattle/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/seattle) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.