on $100k a year, leaving Des Moines

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

instead of des moines

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

$425

more each month than Des Moines ran you

You'd pay for Seattle. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

73% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$500/mo less in state tax than Des Moines

vs 6% in Des Moines

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$425 less than Des Moines

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

04a house here

$791k

164% more expensive than Des Moines

vs $300k in Des Moines

05metro size

4.0M

vs 737k in Des Moines

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Des Moines only manages 151 of those.

A month here packs 5.5× the events of Des Moines.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

69% higher than Des Moines

vs 55/100 in Des Moines

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

·walk score®

98/100

26% higher than Des Moines

vs 78/100 in Des Moines

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

429% more than Des Moines

vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines

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