on $100k a year, leaving Raleigh

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

instead of raleigh

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

$155

more each month than Raleigh ran you

Almost a wash on cost. The case for Seattle is about what you'd do there, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

32% more expensive than Raleigh(vs $1,663/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$375/mo less in state tax than Raleigh

vs 4.5% in Raleigh

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$155 less than Raleigh

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

04a house here

$791k

80% more expensive than Raleigh

vs $440k in Raleigh

05metro size

4.0M

vs 1.5M in Raleigh

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Raleigh edges ahead with 201 pleasant days.

440% more happening than in Raleigh.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

60% higher than Raleigh

vs 58/100 in Raleigh

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

·walk score®

98/100

1% higher than Raleigh

vs 97/100 in Raleigh

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

131% more than Raleigh

vs 39 nonstops in Raleigh

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