same $100k income, fresh start from Indianapolis

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Seattle, WA cityscape

from indianapolis

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

in our guides

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$432

pricier each month than Indianapolis

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

45% more expensive than Indianapolis(vs $1,511/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$250/mo less in state tax than Indianapolis

vs 3% in Indianapolis

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$432 less than Indianapolis

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

04a house here

$791k

168% more expensive than Indianapolis

vs $296k in Indianapolis

05metro size

4.0M

vs 2.1M in Indianapolis

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Indianapolis keeps to 174 pleasant days a year.

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

93/100

50% higher than Indianapolis

vs 62/100 in Indianapolis

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

·walk score®

98/100

1% lower than Indianapolis

vs 99/100 in Indianapolis

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

157% more than Indianapolis

vs 35 nonstops in Indianapolis

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