$100k salary, packing up from Salem

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Seattle, WA cityscape

from salem

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

$178

less monthly outlay than Salem

Money-wise it's a wash. The case for Seattle is everything that isn't rent.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

34% more expensive than Salem(vs $1,642/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$729/mo less in state tax than Salem

vs 8.75% in Salem

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$178 more than Salem

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

04a house here

$791k

75% more expensive than Salem

vs $452k in Salem

05metro size

4.0M

vs 437k in Salem

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Salem gets 201 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine.

254.0× the events of Salem, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

35% higher than Salem

vs 69/100 in Salem

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

·walk score®

98/100

11% higher than Salem

vs 88/100 in Salem

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

0% fewer than Salem

vs 0 nonstops in Salem

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