same $100k income, fresh start from New York

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

if you left new york

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

$2,030

cheaper each month than New York

In Seattle, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

34% cheaper than New York(vs $3,329/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$894/mo less in state tax than New York

vs 10.73% in New York

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$2,030 more than New York

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

04a house here

$791k

7% more expensive than New York

vs $739k in New York

05metro size

4.0M

vs 19.5M in New York

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

New York barely cracks 171 pleasant ones.

93% fewer events than New York. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

19% higher than New York

vs 78/100 in New York

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

·walk score®

98/100

2% lower than New York

vs 100/100 in New York

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

58% fewer than New York

vs 215 nonstops in New York

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