Seattle vs Somerville
The short version
- Somerville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Seattle area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $911,300 in Somerville and $938,600 in Seattle.
- Households earn more in Somerville ($132,572 vs $123,860 median).
- Seattle has the warmer winter: January highs of 47°F vs 37°F.
- Somerville gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 4.
- Seattle is growing faster: +6.5% since 2020 vs +4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Seattle (26 vs 31 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; Massachusetts's top rate is 9%.
Side by side
| Seattle, WA | Somerville, MA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 784,777 | 84,211 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6.5% | +4% |
| People per square mile | 9,343 | 20,440 |
| Median age | 35.6 | 31.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 68% | 69% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $123,860 | $132,572 |
| Median home value | $938,600 | $911,300 |
| Home value to income | 7.6× | 6.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,030 | $2,517 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.1 | 108.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.3 | 148.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,300 | $81,200 |
| Homeowners | 44% | 34% |
| Top state income tax | None | 9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 6.25% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.0 | 31.0 |
| Work from home | 35% | 31% |
| Take public transit | 12% | 19% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 3% |
| Poverty rate | 9.9% | 9.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 47° / 37° | 37° / 23° |
| July high / low | 77° / 57° | 82° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 44 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 2 | 14 |
| Nights below freezing | 25 | 92 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 96.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 71% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +2.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.6% | +39.7% |
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: Seattle: May to September. Somerville: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Seattle weather by month and Somerville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,300 in Seattle and $81,200 in Somerville. Moving from Seattle to Somerville, you would need about $73,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Seattle and Somerville
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Seattle and Somerville.
Which would you pick?
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