DC area is more expensive than anywhere in the US except NYC and SF Bay area.
Similar COL as Boston, Seattle, SoCal.
8
Scientist 1
Also: the part that’s throwing me for a loop is that there’s a much bigger range in cost of housing, gas, etc as you move out from DC… and there’s more available. In Boston it can be prohibitively expensive for a lot of folks to buy anywhere less than an hour drive from downtown which is in part thanks to few major cities nearby (versus Baltimore etc near DC to attract folks) and water (versus being able to move out from the city in any direction).
Associate 2
DC may not be the highest col city, but it is firmly A hcol city.
9
Guidehouse 1
This. Of course NYC and SF are higher but the term doesn’t refer to only the highest COL city. It’s a collection of the top HCOL ones (I don’t have a number but would guess 5-10 can fall in here). The idea isn’t your paying the absolute most one can but in the top some percentile of expenses (probably top 10-20% of places etc).
To me, the term is a comparison to LCOL/MCOL in much of the country. Those lifestyles and costs are remarkably different and the point is the comparison between these different experiences.
2
Consultant 1
MCOL
3
Booz Allen Hamilton 1
Not even close, even when considering / ranking cities on an absolute scale.
Largest major job centers see the highest cost of living (with revenue, comes expense). In other words: the privilege of having plentiful jobs in an area means more people have more money to spend on the same goods and services. It's an inescapable trap.
Remote / wfh worsens inequity in relatively M/LCOL areas because while it's a boon for those with larger salaries, those with area median / average salaries are going to quickly feel the burden of the sudden 'influx' of money: prices will start rising in those areas, too.
It's an inescapable trap.
Deloitte 1
Whatever it may be, the companies don’t pay us significantly more to make up any difference in costs.
2
Deloitte 2
MCOL, unless you live in DC and you think you’re on par with NY or SF 😂
2
Oliver Wyman 1
BAH1 - I consider DC a MCOL city because for the 5k I spend on rent in NYC, I could live literally anywhere in DC, drive a 911, pay my student loans and probably still have a few hundred left.
Maybe there should be more tiers of cities. TBH 3 tiers just isn't enough to give us anything meaningful.
But DC is closer to Seattle or Chicago (I've lived in all 3) when I compare my living expenses and how far my money goes. Boston is between DC and NYC. Again, for comparable standards of living assuming single and renting.
1
Consultant 2
DC metro area has a pretty good transit system. If you can live a little further out, you can save quite a bit on housing.
Manager 1
HCOL, but after SF and NY. Agree with the other posts comparing to Seattle and Boston… my main pet peeve is when some people lump Chicago in with DC because Chi-town is definitely a tier below in terms of cost of living
1
Senior Account Executive 1
As someone actually from Chicago it depends WHERE in Chicago. It’s a much bigger city than DC with a lot more options. Restaurants, bars, groceries, gas, taxes are still on par with DC, especially for high earners
Managing Consultant 1
HCOL.
2
Oliver Wyman 1
Depends on how you rate NYC and SF on your scale.
Enterprise Account Executive 1
NYC and SF are normally classified VHCOL with DC, Seattle, couple others labeled HCOL in my experience/convos
8
Senior Account Executive 1
HCOL
1
University Counselor 1
HCOL!
1
Accenture 1
Big 4 and ACN consider DC a tier 1 city in terms of cost. However (at least for ACN), I'd expect to see a salary adjustment if I transferred to NYC SF or Boston since those are even higher up the list
1
Department of Defense 1
😔🙄
1
Energy Consultant 1
DC is exact same COL as San Jose California, which is right next to Apple and Google HQ.
Amazon 1
Agree with OW1. I would need to double my salary to afford a similar lifestyle in San Jose.
HCOL for sure
DC area is more expensive than anywhere in the US except NYC and SF Bay area. Similar COL as Boston, Seattle, SoCal.
Also: the part that’s throwing me for a loop is that there’s a much bigger range in cost of housing, gas, etc as you move out from DC… and there’s more available. In Boston it can be prohibitively expensive for a lot of folks to buy anywhere less than an hour drive from downtown which is in part thanks to few major cities nearby (versus Baltimore etc near DC to attract folks) and water (versus being able to move out from the city in any direction).
DC may not be the highest col city, but it is firmly A hcol city.
This. Of course NYC and SF are higher but the term doesn’t refer to only the highest COL city. It’s a collection of the top HCOL ones (I don’t have a number but would guess 5-10 can fall in here). The idea isn’t your paying the absolute most one can but in the top some percentile of expenses (probably top 10-20% of places etc). To me, the term is a comparison to LCOL/MCOL in much of the country. Those lifestyles and costs are remarkably different and the point is the comparison between these different experiences.
MCOL
Not even close, even when considering / ranking cities on an absolute scale. Largest major job centers see the highest cost of living (with revenue, comes expense). In other words: the privilege of having plentiful jobs in an area means more people have more money to spend on the same goods and services. It's an inescapable trap. Remote / wfh worsens inequity in relatively M/LCOL areas because while it's a boon for those with larger salaries, those with area median / average salaries are going to quickly feel the burden of the sudden 'influx' of money: prices will start rising in those areas, too. It's an inescapable trap.
Whatever it may be, the companies don’t pay us significantly more to make up any difference in costs.
MCOL, unless you live in DC and you think you’re on par with NY or SF 😂
BAH1 - I consider DC a MCOL city because for the 5k I spend on rent in NYC, I could live literally anywhere in DC, drive a 911, pay my student loans and probably still have a few hundred left. Maybe there should be more tiers of cities. TBH 3 tiers just isn't enough to give us anything meaningful. But DC is closer to Seattle or Chicago (I've lived in all 3) when I compare my living expenses and how far my money goes. Boston is between DC and NYC. Again, for comparable standards of living assuming single and renting.
DC metro area has a pretty good transit system. If you can live a little further out, you can save quite a bit on housing.
HCOL, but after SF and NY. Agree with the other posts comparing to Seattle and Boston… my main pet peeve is when some people lump Chicago in with DC because Chi-town is definitely a tier below in terms of cost of living
As someone actually from Chicago it depends WHERE in Chicago. It’s a much bigger city than DC with a lot more options. Restaurants, bars, groceries, gas, taxes are still on par with DC, especially for high earners
HCOL.
Depends on how you rate NYC and SF on your scale.
NYC and SF are normally classified VHCOL with DC, Seattle, couple others labeled HCOL in my experience/convos
HCOL
HCOL!
Big 4 and ACN consider DC a tier 1 city in terms of cost. However (at least for ACN), I'd expect to see a salary adjustment if I transferred to NYC SF or Boston since those are even higher up the list
😔🙄
DC is exact same COL as San Jose California, which is right next to Apple and Google HQ.
Agree with OW1. I would need to double my salary to afford a similar lifestyle in San Jose.
Definitely HCOL