($1,605) Movers From Oakland, CA to Washington DC, MD

What to know before moving from Oakland to Washington DC

Moving from Oakland to Washington DC comes with exciting new opportunities — but also higher living costs. Since Washington DC is generally more expensive than Oakland, it’s important to plan ahead and budget carefully for the change.

Check out how the two cities compare so you know what to expect before you relocate:

• Rent prices in Washington DC are 9% higher than in Oakland, which means you’ll have less money in your pocket each month.
• In terms of homeownership, you’ll be able to get more for your money in Washington DC.
  Home prices in Washington DC are 19.3% lower than in Oakland.
• Income in Washington DC is 7.8% higher than in Oakland, so you could earn more for doing the same job. The top employers in Washington DC include Department of Homeland Security, US Navy, and United States Postal Service.
• Be sure to budget for higher bills in Washington DC, since the cost of living for a single person in Washington DC is 26.0% higher than in Oakland. This includes routine expenses like utilities, groceries, clothing, and transportation.
• If you’re moving your family to Washington DC, keep in mind that your living expenses could increase. The cost of living for a family in Washington DC is 29.2% higher than in Oakland.
• The unemployment rate in Washington DC is 55.56% higher than in Oakland.
• You’ll spend less on retail and restaurants in Washington DC, since the city’s sales taxes in Washington DC are 41.46% lower than in Oakland.
• One perk of moving to Washington DC is paying less in state income taxes, which are 56.77% lower than in Oakland.

To put this in perspective, you would need around $3,779.08 in Washington DC to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with $3,000.00 in Oakland.

How life is different in Oakland vs. Washington DC

• The population of Washington DC is about 60% greater than Oakland, so you may find more to see and do in your new surroundings. Of course, with more people can also come increased competition for jobs and housing.
• Washington DC offers better access to buses and trains than Oakland, based on public transportation ratings. Washington DC has a transit score of 9 out of 10 compared to 8 in Oakland. The higher the score, the more public transportation pickup and dropoff locations a city provides.
• You’ll find Washington DC to be about as walkable as Oakland. The two cities have similar walkability scores of 77 and 75 respectively out of 100 in terms of how close housing is to businesses, recreational facilities, and jobs.
• If cycling is your thing, Washington DC is considered more bike-friendly than Oakland in terms of designated lanes and connectivity and how many residents opt to commute on two wheels rather than by car. Washington DC has a bike-friendliness score of 70 out of 100, while Oakland is rated as 65 out of 100.
• Washington DC has a lower crime rate than Oakland based on scores of 60.37 and Oakland's 68.62, respectively. The crime index shows how safe a city is perceived to be. So, a lower score generally means less crime.
• You might find more confidence in your overall safety in Washington DC than in Oakland, based on Washington DC’s safety index of 39.63 versus 31.38 for Oakland. With this index, higher scores indicate more safety, particularly around how comfortable residents feel walking alone during the day and at night.
• The air quality in Washington DC and Oakland is generally the same (Good). Cities with good to moderate ratings have clean or acceptable air quality, with the possibility of small pollutants affecting people with certain health conditions like asthma. Anything beyond the moderate rate means increased impact on residents.