$100k salary, packing up from Albuquerque

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Seattle, WA cityscape

next stop after albuquerque

Seattle

wa · metro 4.0M

photo: Thom Milkovic / unsplash

a dispatch from

seattle

WA

47.61°N

122.33°W

Seattle is coffee snobs, ferries crossing the sound, mountains in two directions, and misty mornings that make the espresso taste better. Pike Place still throws fish, the salmon is genuinely better here, and the Cascades sit right outside your window like a movie backdrop. The hippie greenmarket soul still runs through everything the tech money has built. Bring layers.

metro4.0M

in our guides

#7

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Most walkable cities in America

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#5

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$213

the monthly premium over Albuquerque

Seattle costs more than Albuquerque, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

47% more expensive than Albuquerque(vs $1,489/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$492/mo less in state tax than Albuquerque

vs 5.9% in Albuquerque

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$213 less than Albuquerque

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$791k

125% more expensive than Albuquerque

vs $351k in Albuquerque

05metro size

4.0M

vs 924k in Albuquerque

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Albuquerque gets 205 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine.

A real upgrade on things to do: 6.0× Albuquerque's pace.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

15% higher than Albuquerque

vs 81/100 in Albuquerque

Closest outdoor draw: Mount Rainier National Park, 59.8 mi.

·walk score®

98/100

4% higher than Albuquerque

vs 94/100 in Albuquerque

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

291% more than Albuquerque

vs 23 nonstops in Albuquerque

04 · see also

same energy as seattle, different zip code:

see also

portland

similar overall lifestyle

turn the page

see also

trenton

more flight options

turn the page

see also

salt lake city

$198/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare seattle with:

PortlandTrentonSalt Lake City