$100k salary, packing up from Fresno

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Seattle, WA cityscape

swapping out of fresno

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

$581

below Fresno's monthly cost

The gap is real. Seattle costs noticeably less than Fresno, every month.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

10% more expensive than Fresno(vs $1,999/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$775/mo less in state tax than Fresno

vs 9.3% in Fresno

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$581 more than Fresno

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

04a house here

$791k

90% more expensive than Fresno

vs $418k in Fresno

05metro size

4.0M

vs 1.2M in Fresno

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Fresno gets 206 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine.

6.7× the events of Fresno, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

41% higher than Fresno

vs 66/100 in Fresno

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

·walk score®

98/100

10% higher than Fresno

vs 89/100 in Fresno

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

718% more than Fresno

vs 11 nonstops in Fresno

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