$100k salary, packing up from Houston

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Seattle, WA cityscape

instead of houston

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

$583

the monthly premium over Houston

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

36% more expensive than Houston(vs $1,610/mo)

02state income tax

0%

vs 0% in Houston

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$583 less than Houston

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

04a house here

$791k

154% more expensive than Houston

vs $311k in Houston

05metro size

4.0M

vs 7.5M in Houston

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Houston keeps to 171 pleasant days a year.

A similar weekend lineup to Houston.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

69% higher than Houston

vs 55/100 in Houston

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

·walk score®

98/100

27% higher than Houston

vs 77/100 in Houston

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

49% fewer than Houston

vs 176 nonstops in Houston

04 · see also

neighbors of seattle on the map of tradeoffs:

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