on $100k a year, leaving Chicago

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

instead of chicago

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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Best cities for mild four-season weather

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#3

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$389

under Chicago, every month

Seattle gives you room Chicago doesn't. Same gross salary, lower monthly cost of living.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

1% more expensive than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$412/mo less in state tax than Chicago

vs 4.95% in Chicago

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$389 more than Chicago

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

04a house here

$791k

117% more expensive than Chicago

vs $365k in Chicago

05metro size

4.0M

vs 9.3M in Chicago

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Chicago only logs 153 pleasant days.

But the calendar thins out: Chicago stays 5.1× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

33% higher than Chicago

vs 70/100 in Chicago

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

·walk score®

98/100

2% lower than Chicago

vs 100/100 in Chicago

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

59% fewer than Chicago

vs 217 nonstops in Chicago

04 · see also

cities that play in seattle's register:

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