$100k salary, packing up from Dayton

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

if you left dayton

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

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$540

the monthly cost of moving past Dayton

Seattle costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

66% more expensive than Dayton(vs $1,321/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$332/mo less in state tax than Dayton

vs 3.99% in Dayton

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$540 less than Dayton

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

04a house here

$791k

470% more expensive than Dayton

vs $139k in Dayton

05metro size

4.0M

vs 808k in Dayton

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Dayton only manages 171 of those.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 18.1× more on the calendar than Dayton.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

50% higher than Dayton

vs 62/100 in Dayton

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

·walk score®

98/100

10% higher than Dayton

vs 89/100 in Dayton

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

463% more than Dayton

vs 16 nonstops in Dayton

04 · see also

if seattle appeals, also worth a look:

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