$90,000 in Baltimore ≈ $95,684 in Seattle

$95,684

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (104.5 → 111.1). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Seattle run +6.3% vs Baltimore for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

Baltimore RPP
104.5
Seattle RPP
111.1
Price gap
+6.3%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Seattle run +6.3% versus Baltimore on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are higher at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Baltimore maps to about $95,684 in Seattle for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Seattle: $95,684

Live math: salary × (111.1 ÷ 104.5). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Seattle

In BaltimoreIn Seattle
$60,000$63,789
$90,000$95,684
$150,000$159,474

Equivalent = origin salary × (111.1 ÷ 104.5). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentBaltimoreSeattleUS
All items104.5111.1100
Goods102.4104.0100
Housing (rents)118.2151.3100
Other services101.5106.8100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationBaltimoreSeattleDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Chief Executives$268,030$370,000$260,990 to $481,1802,060+38.0%
Physicians, All Other$218,770$330,560$248,540 to $383,8803,590+51.1%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$168,520$214,680$171,550 to $299,56013,170+27.4%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$167,350$204,340$171,360 to $219,3004,390+22.1%
Financial Managers$157,990$185,550$149,530 to $228,3608,500+17.4%
Computer Network Architects$160,340$172,650$133,500 to $208,8203,710+7.7%
Human Resources Managers$146,370$171,360$136,590 to $219,0003,200+17.1%
Managers, All Other$148,700$168,980$133,490 to $213,7007,110+13.6%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in Seattle to match $90,000 in Baltimore?
About $95,684, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 104.5 and 111.1. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
Does this include taxes or benefits?
No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.

What this covers

Includes

  • BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
  • BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
  • Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)

Does not include

  • Federal, state, or local income taxes
  • Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
  • Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand

See methodology and disclaimer.