on $100k a year, leaving Portland

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

instead of portland

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

$317

lighter monthly cost than Portland

Seattle gives you room Portland doesn't. Same gross salary, lower monthly cost of living.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

23% more expensive than Portland(vs $1,781/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$729/mo less in state tax than Portland

vs 8.75% in Portland

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$317 more than Portland

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

04a house here

$791k

41% more expensive than Portland

vs $562k in Portland

05metro size

4.0M

vs 2.5M in Portland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Portland only logs 178 pleasant days.

107% more happening than in Portland.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

7% higher than Portland

vs 87/100 in Portland

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

·walk score®

98/100

2% lower than Portland

vs 100/100 in Portland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

58% more than Portland

vs 57 nonstops in Portland

04 · see also

neighbors of seattle on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

trenton

more flight options

turn the page

see also

salt lake city

$198/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

olympia

$202/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare seattle with:

TrentonSalt Lake CityOlympia