Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 111.1 to 108.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $255/mo.
- -$9,806
- BLS median salary lower in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
- 329 to 1015
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.7:1 to 11:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $9,493
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + $255/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $10K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 111.1 to 108.9 (ratio 0.98), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $255/mo ($3,060/yr) from $2,501 in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue to $2,246 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria sits #110 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue is #324/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,806 lower ($92,550 → $82,744). Labor-market size: 2,057,860 tracked jobs at origin vs 3,082,600 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: District of Columbia scores 61 (C, #26/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 63
- Property tax
- 63
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 18
- Income tax
- 70
- Property tax
- 72
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 90
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue to see what you'd need to earn in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria to maintain the same purchasing power.
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026