on $100k a year, leaving Grand Rapids

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

swapping out of grand rapids

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

$219

pricier each month than Grand Rapids

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

35% more expensive than Grand Rapids(vs $1,620/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$354/mo less in state tax than Grand Rapids

vs 4.25% in Grand Rapids

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$219 less than Grand Rapids

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

04a house here

$791k

124% more expensive than Grand Rapids

vs $353k in Grand Rapids

05metro size

4.0M

vs 1.2M in Grand Rapids

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Grand Rapids only manages 151 of those.

A month here packs 3.7× the events of Grand Rapids.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

66% higher than Grand Rapids

vs 56/100 in Grand Rapids

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

·walk score®

98/100

1% higher than Grand Rapids

vs 97/100 in Grand Rapids

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

350% more than Grand Rapids

vs 20 nonstops in Grand Rapids

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