same $100k income, fresh start from Phoenix

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

if you left phoenix

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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Most walkable cities in America

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$246

pricier each month than Phoenix

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

26% more expensive than Phoenix(vs $1,739/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$208/mo less in state tax than Phoenix

vs 2.5% in Phoenix

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$246 less than Phoenix

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

04a house here

$791k

73% more expensive than Phoenix

vs $458k in Phoenix

05metro size

4.0M

vs 5.1M in Phoenix

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Phoenix keeps to 181 pleasant days a year.

Things to do run about even with Phoenix.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

41% higher than Phoenix

vs 66/100 in Phoenix

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

·walk score®

98/100

1% higher than Phoenix

vs 97/100 in Phoenix

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

1% fewer than Phoenix

vs 91 nonstops in Phoenix

04 · see also

same energy as seattle, different zip code:

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