joannqn Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 When cost of living issues are discussed (ie. cost of groceries) it can't be compared because every place is different. Let's try to comparing on even ground. This will only work for those in the US. Go to this link. Enter your monthly grocery budget (include everything you would by in a grocery story...food, diapers, paper goods, etc.) in the salary location. Then enter your current location, or the closest available location to your own. For the destination, enter Seattle, WA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) During the month of February, money was very tight for us. I tried to keep our grocery costs as low as possible. I cut the breast from a whole chicken and used them for one meal. The next day, I boiled the rest of the chicken and used half of the meat and the broth for soup. I used the other half of the boiled meat to top beans and rice. I made enough beans for 3-4 meals. I did this three of the four weeks. I used other meals in between to take the monotony out of chicken, rice, and beans. We ate very little fresh produce to reduce cost. I also have one kid in nighttime pullups and another in diapers. One thing that made it difficult to save money was the fact that I didn't have access to a car most of the time. So, I walked to the grocery story daily, sometimes twice a day, to get just what I needed for the next couple of meals. I could not coupon or go to multiple stores. The amount I spent on "groceries" was equivalent to $1334 in Seattle, or $222 per person. Edited April 11, 2012 by joannqn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 The cost of living was 24.8% was higher in Seattle than here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I spend $760/month...in Seattle it would be $962. This includes all pullups, cleaners, paper goods, etc. and all food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBear Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I spend about $600 a month on groceries, HBA, toiletries (including diapers and wipes) and cleaning supplies. Seattle would require $770 for the same due to its COL due to its COL being 17% higher for groceries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I'm already in Seattle. We spend about $1,000 a month on groceries, including cleaning supplies, toiletries and pet supplies. That's for a family of 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma2Many66 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I spend 500 dollars a month for 6 people ( 2 adults, 1 teen boy, 3 children) and that includes all groceries, cleaning supplies, detergents/soaps, Health and Beauty needs, sanitary supplies, medicines, paper goods ectera. I divide that money up as 100 dollars per week for groceries and 25 dollars per week for all HBA, cleaning supplies, detergents/soaps, meds and paper good needs. In Seatle Washington my grocery bill would be 624 dollars for the month (includes HBA and assorted stuff above) or 15 % more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I'm too rural for accuracy, so I picked the closest IMHO. Right now my budget is $600 and it would be $724 in Seattle. I never ever go under budget though. Some months it's twice that and we still are hungry a few days of the month. :glare: I am frugal with our food, too. I do have to buy specialty gluten free things, but we go through maybe 2 lbs. of meat a week, eat fruit on sale, frozen veggies, stretch every ounce of every leftover... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 14% more in Seattle than where I live. We spend $600 for a family of six, plus two shared custody kids and multiple grandchild 'drop-in's who need to be fed. We do have feed stores around here where we can get bulk oats and wheat relatively inexpensively, but no Trader Joe's, Costco, or anything other than Aldi or plain vanilla grocery stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 My money goes about 15% further in Seattle. Groceries will cost: 6% less Housing will cost: 19% less Utilities will cost: 39% less Transportation will cost: 5% more Healthcare will cost: 2% less Interesting that transportation would cost more. I wonder if that's because Boston has a better public transportation system? I can't imagine it's because car insurance is cheaper here... have you seen how we drive? LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Our current grocery budget is $325, which we just raised a month ago from $300. This includes household supplies such as cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc. It would be $407 in Seattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma2Many66 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 During the month of February, money was very tight for us. I tried to keep our grocery costs as low as possible. I cut the breast from a whole chicken and used them for one meal. The next day, I boiled the rest of the chicken and used half of the meat and the broth for soup. I used the other half of the boiled meat to top beans and rice. I made enough beans for 3-4 meals. I did this three of the four weeks. I used other meals in between to take the monotony out of chicken, rice, and beans. We ate very little fresh produce to reduce cost. I do this weekly for our food budget, except we have lots of fresh produce also. I cook a chicken every Sunday and stretch that chicken into 3 meals for the week, one of those meals is soup with fresh bread. One day we have pasta and sauce with italian bread. Another day we have a fish meal, either tuna sandwiches and soup/ salads or frozen flounder and veggies. The other two meals of the week is something with grains and beans or lentils. We also make veggie or cheese omelets or pancakes one night for variety and once every other week a homemade pizza night. I can usually keep my grocery bill under 100 dollars per week in our area (less in late spring and summer when our garden and orchard are loaded with veggies and fruits) and that 100 dollars includes fresh salads daily with fresh fruit and sandwich for lunches and green smoothies and muffins for breakfast. The cost of living in our area is much lower then Seatle Washington and we make use of Sam's Club in late fall, winter and early spring for organic fresh veggies and fruit which keeps my cost down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I don't know how much I spend so I put in $1000 (Vancouver, Wa). It was $1226 in Seatle. It says Groceries 18% more. That is about 2hours away from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Groceries would be 23% more in Seattle. Right now, I budget $700/month, so I'd spend around $850 there. Housing is what would kill us.... 45% higher! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 We don't have a set budget, but a good estimate would be $1500/month. That equals $1886 in Seattle-dollars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeBeaks Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 $500/mo here, $448 Seattle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 My grocery costs would be 21% more in Seattle. I think posting percentage increases is more eye opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) I don't think it was at all accurate for me. First of all, I don't live anywhere near the four southern, lower peninsula cities that were an option. My cost of living here is cheaper than any of those cities. So that skews the differences. I spend around $575.00 here and do not have anyone in diapers, formula, etc. Second of all, a lot of what I buy is organic from a Mennonite bulk food store. I get it EXTREMELY low priced by comparison to most areas of the country for organics. So, if I priced it out at Seattle prices instead of showing a 13% greater cost for Seattle, I think it wold be more like 50% or possibly even greater. I get organic pastry flour -$0.99 per lb., organic white or brown rice -$1.09 lb., organic dry beans $1.19 lb., organic bananas $0.69 lb., potatoes - 5 lbs. for $3.00, romain lettuce - $1.29 a bunch, organic apples - $1.29/1.49 lb. depending on variety, etc. Most of my meats are not organic, but my eggs are from a local farmer - organic - for $1.50 a dozen. I'm pretty certain other areas of the country pay a lot more for these same items. Even chicken, though not organic, is dirt cheap. I get roasting chickens for $0.89 a lb. and 10 lb bags of chicken leg quarters for $0.59 a lb. Housing it says would be 23% more. But, I picked Kalamazoo as the city since I thought it would be the closest (NOT) to our actual area. I'd say that housing would be more in line with 50-75% higher...rents for 2b/2b house around here start at $400.00 or so as do apartments with 3/2 going for $500.00 - 750.00 at max. Houses sell for less than $40,000.00 for fixer uppers that aren't that bad. I'm fairly certain that Seattle would be A LOT worse! I'm blessed to be in the cheap grocery area. That said, Michiganders as well as other northern states manage to make up for it in heating costs! Faith Edited April 11, 2012 by FaithManor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 According to that website, groceries are 8% more in Seattle than here. Which means I'd need $540 instead of $500. However, housing is a shocking 48% more there! Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Well, groceries would be 4% more, but I think I'd be OK with that since housing would be 34% less and utilities 20% less. We'd definitely come out on top! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I put in a $1000 for my Northern VA location. In Seattle, it would cost $817. Plus my housing would be 46% less! Groceries, housing, and utilities would all be cheaper for me. Transportation and healthcare a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I never buy diapers, paper plates, cleaning products etc at a grocery store since they cost significantly more there. The only things I buy at a grocery store are food. However, I added my grocery budget and household budget together and I spend $750 a month (don't have anyone currently in diapers though). It says I would need $812 in Seattle WA Groceries will cost 11% more Housing 15% more Utilities will be 13% less Transportation will be 2% more Healthcare will be 1% more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Groceries: 10% more Housing: 2% more Utilities: 29% less Transportation: 13% more Healthcare: 7% more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I don't understand why groceries are so much more in Seattle...it's just a few hours up I-5 from here. All of the other categories Seattle was 1 or 2 percent more, but groceries were 19% more. Do they not have Winco or Costco? Does trucking produce for a few more hours really add 19% to the cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 My city is almost exactly the same size as Seattle, but it won't let me enter it on that website. Because we're not part of a state.:glare: :rant: It's bad enough that I don't have the right to vote and Congress and the President use my enfranchisement as a bargaining tool for their own stupid issues, but sometimes it's little dumb things like this that get me most annoyed. GRRRR... If I pretend I live in Bethesda, Seattle groceries would be pretty much exactly on par for me (1% cheaper). So that's really close, Joann. But housing would be much cheaper. Now I want to move to Seattle. Unfortunately, I don't think there's much for my dh to do there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 It says groceries would be 11% more, although I have to say that I haven't found all that much difference in grocery cost from Los Angeles to here, so I don't take too much stock in the accuracy of all of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 If you move from Cleveland, OH to Seattle, WA.... Groceries will cost: 1%more Housing will cost: 41%more Utilities will cost: 9%less Transportation will cost: 11%more Healthcare will cost: 7%more ETA: I live in a "posh-ish" suburb, so housing is quite a bit more here than in the actual city. I doubt the housing in Seattle would be 41% more than in my suburb. Maybe 10-20% more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Groceries will cost: 6% more Housing will cost: 26% less Utilities will cost: 31% less Transportation will cost: 8% more Healthcare will cost: 13% more Oh, and I'm in NJ. For sure the insurance would be less in WA. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 It says groceries would be 11% more, although I have to say that I haven't found all that much difference in grocery cost from Los Angeles to here, so I don't take too much stock in the accuracy of all of that. Groceries are cheap here in L.A. Probably because so much of it comes from central CA? It is, by far, the cheapest part of living in L.A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 I'm guessing it is using Seattle proper, which probably doesn't have a Winco or a Costco. You'd have to drive to a suburb for those types of stores. Housing costs vary A LOT in Seattle depending on which neighborhood you are in. It can range from $150,000 to $1,500,000. The cheapest health insurance plan for my family is $391 per month. That is for a catastrophic plan with a $10,000 deductible per person/$20,000 deductible per family and 50% coinsurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Right, but the difference in cost from L.A. to Seattle was only 4%, not the 11% difference from here to Seattle, so according to that comparison, I should be paying about 7% more in L.A. I don't think I was. In fact, I paid less than here because when I lived in L.A. I had fewer children and the two i had were small. We moved when they were 7 and 5. Anyway, not a big deal, but worth noting. Dawn Groceries are cheap here in L.A. Probably because so much of it comes from central CA? It is, by far, the cheapest part of living in L.A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Groceries will cost: 6% moreHousing will cost: 26% less Utilities will cost: 31% less Transportation will cost: 8% more Healthcare will cost: 13% more Oh, and I'm in NJ. For sure the insurance would be less in WA. :lol: Oh, that's weird! I'm in NJ too, and the numbers I got were different. I wonder what that means, hmmm. Groceries will cost: 1% more Housing will cost: 16% less Utilities will cost: 31% less Transportation will cost: 10% more Healthcare will cost: 8% more The overall salary was just a bit less than DH's current salary. What an interesting tool, thanks for sharing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 If you move from Cleveland, OH to Seattle, WA....Groceries will cost: 1%more Housing will cost: 41%more Utilities will cost: 9%less Transportation will cost: 11%more Healthcare will cost: 7%more ETA: I live in a "posh-ish" suburb, so housing is quite a bit more here than in the actual city. I doubt the housing in Seattle would be 41% more than in my suburb. Maybe 10-20% more. I suspect you'd be unpleasantly surprised. Cedar Rapids Iowa vs. Portland, Oregon 66% difference in housing costs. True Story. Housing is crazy expensive on the west coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRG Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Last month I spent $850 on groceries and household items. The equivalent for Seattle would have been $1097. Here is the rest of the breakdown: Groceries will cost: 28%more Housing will cost: 62%more Utilities will cost: 7%less Transportation will cost: 15%more Healthcare will cost: 22%more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I suspect you'd be unpleasantly surprised. Cedar Rapids Iowa vs. Portland, Oregon 66% difference in housing costs. True Story. Housing is crazy expensive on the west coast. I know, but I'm just saying that where I live is much higher than the housing prices in the city of Cleveland as a whole, which is what the percentages were based on. Our house would have cost us about $75,000.00 less if it were located one zip code over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) I'm guessing it is using Seattle proper, which probably doesn't have a Winco or a Costco. You'd have to drive to a suburb for those types of stores. Housing costs vary A LOT in Seattle depending on which neighborhood you are in. It can range from $150,000 to $1,500,000. The cheapest health insurance plan for my family is $391 per month. That is for a catastrophic plan with a $10,000 deductible per person/$20,000 deductible per family and 50% coinsurance. There is a Costco on 4th Ave S (south of downtown). Never heard of Winco. There are no Walmarts within the city limits. ETA: There is a Sam's Club, which I didn't count as a Walmart because shopping there requires a membership. $150,000 will get you a condo, possibly a townhouse, maybe a house. The house is most likely going to be very small (1BR, maybe 2), and/or need a lot of work, and in a less safe area. Edited April 12, 2012 by TrixieB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessicamcc Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I live in PA and spend about $700 a month. My cost would go up about 14% if We moved to Seattle. Housing would be 30% more! OUCH!!!:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I entered $1000 because we have littles in diapers and on formula. Seattle came up $817. I'm not sure exactly what we spend but it's close. Housing was listed at 46% less in Seattle. I'm thinking a move to Seattle looks pretty good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Oh, that's weird! I'm in NJ too, and the numbers I got were different. I wonder what that means, hmmm. Groceries will cost: 1% more Housing will cost: 16% less Utilities will cost: 31% less Transportation will cost: 10% more Healthcare will cost: 8% more The overall salary was just a bit less than DH's current salary. What an interesting tool, thanks for sharing it. Well according to the caculator, my part of NJ doesn't exist! Everything was at least 120 miles away, but I chose Bergen, because I used to live there, and the costs are comparable for food and housing to where I am now. (Regardless of what the tool says, salary in our particular case would be exactly the same.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Well according to the caculator, my part of NJ doesn't exist! Everything was at least 120 miles away, but I chose Bergen, because I used to live there, and the costs are comparable for food and housing to where I am now. (Regardless of what the tool says, salary in our particular case would be exactly the same.) Ah, now I see. Yeah, we're in the middle, so I picked the right location. However, housing in the Middlesex/Monmouth area varies so wildly that it's almost not worth considering the region as a whole! But it's just a generalization, so not much I can do about it :D It was still a fun little experiment (and interesting to see that my DH's cost analysis of a possible move to the Raleigh area of NC was pretty much spot on). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 bunk, imo. Moved from one place to another and those things that are supposedly lower there are actually higher there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 It would cost 33% more for groceries, but I was shocked that my house would cost 77% more. :001_huh: We would be living in someone's garage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasRachel Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 At the risk of everyone hating me: Groceries 41% more Housing 67% more Utilities 21% less (gotta love that Texas summer) Transportation 16% more Healthcare 29% more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Only a 6% increase for groceries, but a 68% increase for housing. I knew the housing difference would be substantial, but I really expected the cost of groceries to be much higher. I could spend what I spent last month on groceries and toiletries for a family of four here, and still come in under $400 in Seattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jubilation Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) I spend about $750/mo here (Midwest), which is $931 in Seattle, 24% higher than here. Housing is 61% higher there than here. Edited April 12, 2012 by jubilation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 We moved from Seattle (we were in the city) a little more than a year ago. We were spending $350/month on groceries, but that's because we were living off $1800/month. Since I live overseas right now, I compared Seattle to the city we will be moving to soon in Virginia. Seattle is only slightly higher if I don't count health care and transportation, which I don't since I walk almost every where and we're in a different situation for health care. It's nice to think about moving to a city that's a little cheaper than Seattle where we'll have more than $20,000 a year to live off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 It would only pick one city in my state and the col there is much higher than here. I spend 600 here and it would be 621 in Seattle. Groceries will cost: 6% more Housing will cost: 1% more Utilities will cost: 12% less Transportation will cost:1% more Healthcare will cost: 6% more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 If you move from Dallas, TX to Seattle, WA.... Groceries will cost: 11% more Housing will cost: 72% more Utilities will cost: 16% less Transportation will cost: 7% more Healthcare will cost: 13% more So no, we absolutely could not even survive there. Of course, it is likely, I would guess, he could make more money in Seattle also. People in Seattle probably wouldn't accept Texas wages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 After all the build up of the last few threads, I was kind of surprised that groceries would only be 11% more in Seattle (and we don't have a Costco or Sam's like the closest regional city--I would have to drive an hour to that city to use something other than a Walmart, IGA, Aldis or Farmer's Market). When we lived in the Chicago area the price difference was similar. Despite this, I'm still on the lower end of grocery budgets mentioned for 6 people by hundreds of dollars. :confused: Considering how some people are struggling with food costs, I'm not sure this calculator is giving us a realistic picture...or perhaps there's no such thing as a realistic picture given that families have different make ups and needs, some areas have more local food access. Of course, anyone in Seattle makes that 11% back and more in lower utility costs. ;) Gotta love those Midwestern winters. I wasn't surprised about the housing. Cheap housing/land is one of the reasons we moved up here, and I'm sure the difference for our area is more than the 48% for the regional city. Our house payment is under $400 on a 15 year loan. I could barely get a room for rent for that in the Chicago 'burbs 15 years ago. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) I can't use that calculator because I am in Canada. I compared my location with Seattle and groceries are 17.88% higher here than in Seattle. My dh's wages are higher here than they would be in Seattle though so I guess it evens out quite well for us. And we have the added benefit of no healthcare costs. Edited April 12, 2012 by Wehomeschool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.