San Francisco vs Seattle
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights San Francisco edges it, 63 to 62, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
The tech capital, compact and hilly
Full San Francisco profile →Plan a trip to San Francisco →Tech giant city between mountains and sound
Full Seattle profile →Plan a trip to Seattle →Where they differ
- Climate. San Francisco leads on climate, 42 to 33, against Seattle. Comfortable months: 5 vs 4.
- Getting there & around. San Francisco leads on getting there & around, 52 to 45, against Seattle. Non-stop airport destinations: 151 vs 137.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick San Francisco if you want
- no clear edge over Seattle in the data
Pick Seattle if you want
- to spend about $134 less a month
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 14 | 16 ✓ |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 76 ✓ | 75 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 52 ✓ | 45 |
| Climate | 42 ✓ | 33 |
| Air quality | 95 | 98 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,468 | $3,334 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 59.7 Mbps ✓ | 59.6 Mbps |
| Upload | 11.9 Mbps ✓ | 9.2 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 151 ✓ | 137 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
Climate and air
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.4 µg/m³ | 6.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, San Francisco or Seattle?
- Seattle is cheaper: about $3,334 per month versus $3,468 for one person.
- Is San Francisco or Seattle safer?
- San Francisco and Seattle score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, San Francisco or Seattle?
- San Francisco: a measured median of 59.7 Mbps versus 59.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- San Francisco vs Oakland
- San Francisco vs Philadelphia
- Seattle vs Denver
- Seattle vs Minneapolis
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.