on $100k a year, leaving South Bend

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

instead of south bend

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

$552

more each month than South Bend ran you

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

58% more expensive than South Bend(vs $1,391/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$250/mo less in state tax than South Bend

vs 3% in South Bend

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$552 less than South Bend

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

04a house here

$791k

244% more expensive than South Bend

vs $230k in South Bend

05metro size

4.0M

vs 324k in South Bend

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

South Bend only manages 157 of those.

A month here packs 14.9× the events of South Bend.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

75% higher than South Bend

vs 53/100 in South Bend

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

·walk score®

98/100

20% higher than South Bend

vs 82/100 in South Bend

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

900% more than South Bend

vs 9 nonstops in South Bend

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