$100k a year, no longer in Boulder

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Seattle, WA cityscape

swapping out of boulder

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

of 10

Most walkable cities in America

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#5

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Best cities for health and wellness

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#7

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Most livable cities in America

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#6

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Best cities for mild four-season weather

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#3

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Best cities in states with no income tax

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#7

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#2

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Best cities for parks and green space

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#7

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Best cities for work-life balance

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#3

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Best cities for a $150k salary

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#3

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Best cities for a $200k salary

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#6

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#6

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#3

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#6

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Best cities to live in your 30s

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$389

less monthly outlay than Boulder

Seattle is the easier version of your monthly budget. Lower rent, lighter monthly outlay.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

1% cheaper than Boulder(vs $2,216/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$367/mo less in state tax than Boulder

vs 4.4% in Boulder

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$389 more than Boulder

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

04a house here

$791k

1% more expensive than Boulder

vs $783k in Boulder

05metro size

4.0M

vs 327k in Boulder

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Boulder barely cracks 178 pleasant ones.

4133% more happening than in Boulder.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

18% higher than Boulder

vs 79/100 in Boulder

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

·walk score®

98/100

17% higher than Boulder

vs 84/100 in Boulder

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

47% fewer than Boulder

vs 169 nonstops in Boulder

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as seattle:

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