Sidwell Friends School
AmericanPrivate
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inWashington, D.C., United States
District of Columbia, United States6.4MCapitalHigh incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Jarek Tuszyński (aka Jarekt)
Purchasing Power vs. United States
17% more expensive
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). United States: $76,931/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 11% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
1.1x further
Prices are 11% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
1.5x further
Prices are 34% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
1.1x further
Prices are 10% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
1.0x further
Prices are 3% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
High
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$76,931
PPP, International $
City Population
6.4M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$2,659/mo
1BR Outside Center$2,099/mo
3BR City Center$5,335/mo
3BR Outside Center$4,351/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$25
Mid-Range (2 people)$115
Milk (1L)$1.13
Eggs (12)$4.77
Transport
Monthly Pass$118
Gasoline (1L)$0.88
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$203/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$71/mo
Education
Preschool$3,075/mo
Intl Primary School$39,186/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes United States as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Washington, D.C..
Quality
Mixed public-school option
Expat access
Available to residents
conditionalInstruction
English
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
The United States has many excellent public schools, but quality varies sharply by district and neighborhood.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can use local public schools, but school quality depends heavily on district assignment and housing location.
🗺️ Homeschooling
Varies by stateHomeschooling is legal in all 50 US states but regulations vary dramatically. Some states (TX, AK, ID) have minimal oversight; others (NY, PA, MA) require notification, testing, and curriculum approval. Most worldschooling families establish residency in low-regulation states.
Homeschool legality in United States — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
3 confirmed schools
Typical fee
$52,179/yr
median of 2 schools' published fees
- American2
- IB1
Washington International School
IBPrivate
Confirmed on its own website
School Without Walls
AmericanPublic magnet
No tuition
Confirmed on its own website
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Washington, D.C., United States.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$3,000-$3,950
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$3,600-$4,700
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Washington, D.C.: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 79/100 (car light core). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
79/100
mobility profile car light core
Airport
Major multi-airport hub
Washington is served by Reagan National, Dulles, and nearby BWI, giving the metro unusually deep domestic plus practical long-haul air coverage.
Urban transit
Metro, commuter rail, and bus
metrocommuter railbus
Metrorail, Metrobus, and commuter rail make car-light family life realistic across much of the core Washington region.
Rideshare
Uber and Lyft available
Ride-hailing is a routine complement to Metro and commuter rail for airport trips and suburb-to-suburb gaps.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in United States.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
1 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongHigh national coverage, strong doctor availability, and deep nursing capacity support this rating.
Public care
GoodBroad public coverage, relatively low patient cost-sharing, and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong support this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
88/100
2023
Physicians
3.68/1k
2022
Hospital beds
2.68/1k
2022
Out of pocket
11%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
78.9 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
17/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
3.7/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedCountry-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Pharmacy: 1
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in United States yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
CVS Pharmacy
Pharmacy
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index40/100
Crime Index60/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability+0.39
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Information & Technology | $296,347/yr |
| Finance & Insurance | $236,625/yr |
| Professional & Scientific Services | $228,491/yr |
| Utilities | $220,518/yr |
| Manufacturing | $193,010/yr |
| Transport & Logistics | $181,823/yr |
| Mining & Quarrying | $178,465/yr |
| Healthcare & Social Work | $150,580/yr |
| Real Estate | $148,784/yr |
| Other Services | $146,809/yr |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | $142,553/yr |
| Education | $142,481/yr |
| Construction | $137,256/yr |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | $136,125/yr |
| Administrative & Support Services | $125,890/yr |
| Agriculture & Farming | $94,521/yr |
| Hospitality & Food Service | $74,607/yr |
2025 annual wages in Washington, D.C., United States · Source: BLS OEWS
Price Comparison vs. US
abs gasoline regular
$3.17EstimatedSame
beer
$7.75EstimatedSame
big mac
$6.22EstimatedSame
bread 500g
$3.39EstimatedSame
budget hotel
$300.24Survey-verified727% more
budget hotel night
$35.00EstimatedSame
childcare preschool
$3074.77Estimated98% more
cinema
$16.50EstimatedSame
coca cola
$2.15EstimatedSame
eggs dozen
$4.77Estimated1% cheaper
gasoline liter
$34.18Survey-verified3219% more
inexpensive meal
$25.00Survey-verified18% more
internet 60mbps
$70.71Estimated4% more
iphone
$999.00EstimatedSame
jeans
$51.25EstimatedSame
latte
$5.31EstimatedSame
luxury hotel
$300.24Survey-verified37% cheaper
luxury hotel night
$450.00EstimatedSame
mcmeal
$25.00Survey-verified147% more
milk liter
$1.13Estimated7% cheaper
monthly pass
$34.18Survey-verified51% cheaper
nike shoes
$91.25EstimatedSame
regional price parity
$95.10EstimatedSame
rent 1br
$2658.75Survey-verified47% more
rent 2br
$2658.75Survey-verified38% cheaper
rent 3br
$5335.00Estimated68% more
subway fare
$34.18Survey-verified1318% more
taxi km
$1.87EstimatedSame
utilities basic
$203.35Estimated5% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Long-Term Visa Programs
investment
US EB-5 Immigrant Investor (Standard)24 monthsPath to residency
24 monthsPath to residency
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Washington, D.C. compared with the US?
Your money does not stretch further in Washington, D.C. than in the US — Washington, D.C. currently looks more expensive than the baseline market on a PPP basis, so the same income buys less day to day.
Is Washington, D.C. cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Washington, D.C. is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 11% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Washington, D.C..
How does rent in Washington, D.C. compare with New York City?
Rent in Washington, D.C. is about 34% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Washington, D.C.?
Groceries in Washington, D.C. are about 10% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 3% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. is the federal capital of the United States, a planned diamond-shaped district on the Potomac River that operates as its own jurisdiction outside the fifty states, which has real consequences for taxation, congressional representation, and gun law. The economy is dominated by federal government, defense and policy consulting, law, and the cluster of international institutions including the World Bank and IMF. Relocators get one of the densest concentrations of professional jobs in the country, a functional Metro system, and walkable neighborhoods like Dupont and Capitol Hill, but should weigh housing costs that rival Boston, humid subtropical summers, and the reality that federal hiring cycles drive much of the rental market.
Humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild wintersExcellent fiber internet infrastructure and high connectivityLarge and established expat community with international organizationsHighly walkable with comprehensive Metro public transit systemWorld-class dining scene with international cuisines and Michelin-starred restaurantsVibrant nightlife in neighborhoods like U Street and Capitol HillPremium coworking spaces (WeWork, Spaces) throughout the cityGenerally safe with active police presence, though crime varies by neighborhood
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