--- title: "Chicago vs Seattle: Class A office comparison" description: "Side-by-side Class A office comparison for Chicago and Seattle — rent, vacancy, talent, tax, lease norms, transit, and top submarkets." canonical: https://classa.info/compare/chicago-vs-seattle pageType: comparison lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > Chicago ($52/sqft, 24.5% vacancy) and Seattle ($52/sqft, 26.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Chicago on rent and tax and Seattle on talent depth. ## TL;DR - Class A rent: Chicago $52/sqft vs Seattle $52/sqft. - Vacancy: Chicago 24.5% vs Seattle 26.4%. - Talent index: Chicago 88 vs Seattle 92. - Corporate tax: Chicago 28.5% vs Seattle 21%. - Premium flex/seat/month: Chicago $920 vs Seattle $940. # Chicago vs Seattle: Class A office comparison **Chicago ($52/sqft, 24.5% vacancy) and Seattle ($52/sqft, 26.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Chicago on rent and tax and Seattle on talent depth.** ## TL;DR - [Class A](/glossary/class-a) rent: Chicago $52/sqft vs Seattle $52/sqft. - Vacancy: Chicago 24.5% vs Seattle 26.4%. - Talent index: Chicago 88 vs Seattle 92. - Corporate tax: Chicago 28.5% vs Seattle 21%. - [Premium flex](/topics/lease-vs-flex)/seat/month: Chicago $920 vs Seattle $940. ## Market data side-by-side | Metric | Chicago | Seattle| | Region | Americas | Americas| | Country | United States | United States| | Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $52 | $52| | Class A rent (local) | 52 USD | 52 USD| | Vacancy | 24.5% | 26.4%| | Trend | flat | softening| | Prime yield | 7% | 6.7%| | Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $920 | $940| | Submarkets covered | 6 | 5| | Corporate tax | 28.5% | 21%| ## Lease norms | Metric | Chicago | Seattle| | Typical term | 10 yrs | 10 yrs| | Typical rent-free | 22 mos | 16 mos| | Lease norms | Modified-gross with op-ex escalations over a base year. Rent-free 18-30 months and TI $120-$200/sqft on a 10-year term are current market. | Modified-gross structures with operating-expense pass-throughs. 10-12 year terms standard for trophy. Free rent of 12-18 months and TI of $100-$150/sqft typical on a 10-year deal.| | Tax note | Combined federal + Illinois corporate tax effectively 28.5%. Cook County personal property lease transaction tax applies. | 21% federal corporate income tax. No Washington State corporate income tax. Washington B&O tax applies to gross receipts (rates vary by activity). Seattle JumpStart payroll expense tax applies to tenants with $7M+ payroll.| ## Talent | Metric | Chicago | Seattle| | Talent index (0–100) | 88 | 92| | Talent note | Deep professional-services, fintech, and trading talent pool. Average all-in compensation indexes 88 vs. New York. | Deepest cloud, AI, and SaaS engineering talent pool in North America. UW and a deep network of T-1 engineering programs feed. Cost-of-living advantage versus Bay Area is structural.| ## Transit & commute **Chicago:** CTA L lines and Metra commuter rail. Union Station and Ogilvie anchor commuter rail; Loop Elevated lines circle the historic CBD. **Seattle:** Sound Transit Link light rail (1 Line) extended in 2024 to Lynnwood; East Link to Bellevue / Redmond opening 2025-26. Streetcar serves South Lake Union. King County Metro bus network anchors local commute. ## Top submarkets — Chicago - [**West Loop**](/cities/chicago/west-loop) — [trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) · $70/sqft/yr - [**Fulton Market**](/cities/chicago/fulton-market) — prime tier · $65/sqft/yr - [**The Loop**](/cities/chicago/the-loop) — prime tier · $50/sqft/yr ## Top submarkets — Seattle - [**Downtown CBD**](/cities/seattle/downtown-cbd) — trophy tier · $65/sqft/yr - [**South Lake Union**](/cities/seattle/south-lake-union) — trophy tier · $60/sqft/yr - [**Bellevue**](/cities/seattle/bellevue) — trophy tier · $58/sqft/yr ## Decision criteria ### Pick by cost Chicago and Seattle are roughly cost-equivalent in USD/sqft. ### Pick by talent depth Seattle has the deeper talent index (92/100 vs 88/100). ### Pick by tax Seattle has the lower headline corporate tax (21% vs 28.5%). Local incentives can change the effective rate materially. ### Pick by lease optionality Chicago typical term is 10 years with 22 months free; Seattle runs 10 years with 16 months free. ### Pick by transit Chicago: CTA L lines and Metra commuter rail. Union Station and Ogilvie anchor commuter rail; Loop Elevated lines circle the historic CBD. Seattle: Sound Transit Link light rail (1 Line) extended in 2024 to Lynnwood; East Link to Bellevue / Redmond opening 2025-26. Streetcar serves South Lake Union. King County Metro bus network anchors local commute. ## Run a 4-city comparison Score Chicago, Seattle and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD. [**Run a 4-city comparison →**](/tools/city-comparator) ## Frequently asked questions ****Is Class A office cheaper in Chicago or Seattle?**** : Roughly comparable in USD per sqft. ****Which has better talent depth, Chicago or Seattle?**** : Seattle indexes higher on talent depth (92 vs 88). ****Which has more sublease availability, Chicago or Seattle?**** : Seattle carries higher vacancy (26.4% vs 24.5%) and therefore typically more [sublease](/topics/sublease-strategy)">sublease overhang. ****What lease term should I expect in Chicago vs Seattle?**** : Chicago typical term is 10 years with 22 months rent-free; Seattle typical term is 10 years with 16 months rent-free. ****How does transit and commuter access compare?**** : Chicago: CTA L lines and Metra commuter rail. Union Station and Ogilvie anchor commuter rail; Loop Elevated lines circle the historic CBD. Seattle: Sound Transit Link light rail (1 Line) extended in 2024 to Lynnwood; East Link to Bellevue / Redmond opening 2025-26. Streetcar serves South Lake Union. King County Metro bus network anchors local commute. ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Miriam Hollander**](/about/authors/miriam-hollander) — Lead market analyst. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/compare/chicago-vs-seattle), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.