San Mateo vs Seattle
The short version
- Seattle is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the San Mateo area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $938,600 in Seattle and $1,618,700 in San Mateo.
- Households earn more in San Mateo ($153,504 vs $123,860 median).
- San Mateo has the warmer winter: January highs of 58°F vs 47°F.
- Seattle is growing faster: +6.5% since 2020 vs -2.2%.
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| San Mateo, CA | Seattle, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 103,337 | 784,777 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.2% | +6.5% |
| People per square mile | 8,516 | 9,343 |
| Median age | 38.3 | 35.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 58% | 68% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $153,504 | $123,860 |
| Median home value | $1,618,700 | $938,600 |
| Home value to income | 10.5× | 7.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $3,077 | $2,030 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 115.6 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 194.7 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $86,700 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 50% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.1 | 26.0 |
| Work from home | 25% | 35% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 12% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 8.2% | 9.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 45° | 47° / 37° |
| July high / low | 73° / 55° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 20 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 | 2 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.2 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.3% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +17.5% | +24.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: San Mateo: March to November. Seattle: May to September.
Full monthly tables: San Mateo weather by month and Seattle weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $86,700 in San Mateo and $83,300 in Seattle. Moving from San Mateo to Seattle, you would need about $72,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Mateo and Seattle
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from San Mateo and Seattle.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.