$100k salary, packing up from Pensacola

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

instead of pensacola

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

#7

of 10

Most walkable cities in America

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities for health and wellness

read the guide
#7

of 10

Most livable cities in America

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for mild four-season weather

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities in states with no income tax

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best places to move in 2026

read the guide
#2

of 10

Best cities for parks and green space

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities for work-life balance

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities for a $150k salary

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities for a $200k salary

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for outdoor athletes

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for cyclists

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities for dog owners

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities in the Pacific Northwest

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities to live in your 30s

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$441

the monthly cost of moving past Pensacola

You'd pay for Seattle. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

25% more expensive than Pensacola(vs $1,752/mo)

02state income tax

0%

vs 0% in Pensacola

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$441 less than Pensacola

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

04a house here

$791k

161% more expensive than Pensacola

vs $303k in Pensacola

05metro size

4.0M

vs 530k in Pensacola

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Pensacola has the edge here, logging 226 pleasant days a year.

877% more happening than in Pensacola.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

35% higher than Pensacola

vs 69/100 in Pensacola

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

·walk score®

98/100

53% higher than Pensacola

vs 64/100 in Pensacola

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

718% more than Pensacola

vs 11 nonstops in Pensacola

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as seattle:

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