Seattle - WA vs San Antonio - TX: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Seattle - WA is roughly 163% more expensive than San Antonio - TX in typical home value. Homes sit on market longer in San Antonio - TX (53 days vs 27), suggesting more buyer leverage there. Seattle - WA sees more listings with price cuts (34.2% vs 30.4%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Seattle vs San Antonio: what the numbers say

At today's 7.24% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $3,926 a month in principal and interest in Seattle and $1,493 in San Antonio, a gap of $2,433 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,250 in Seattle and $1,415 in San Antonio, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.7 times rent in Seattle and 1.1 times rent in San Antonio, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 26.7 years of rent in Seattle and 16.1 in San Antonio; the lower ratio in San Antonio means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -2.9% in Seattle and -4.8% in San Antonio; over just the last three months the change was -0.3% in Seattle and -0.6% in San Antonio.

Homes sell for 99.3% of list price in Seattle and 97.2% in San Antonio, after 27 and 53 days on the market, with price cuts on 34% and 30% of listings. The signs are mixed: Seattle has more price cuts, while San Antonio has longer time on the market and sales further below list.

The number of homes for sale is up 20% on a year ago in Seattle and up 4% on a year ago in San Antonio.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-29), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.