$100k salary, packing up from Columbus

change
Seattle, WA cityscape

swapping out of columbus

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

#7

of 10

Most walkable cities in America

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities for health and wellness

read the guide
#7

of 10

Most livable cities in America

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for mild four-season weather

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities in states with no income tax

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best places to move in 2026

read the guide
#2

of 10

Best cities for parks and green space

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities for work-life balance

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities for a $150k salary

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities for a $200k salary

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for outdoor athletes

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for cyclists

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities for dog owners

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities in the Pacific Northwest

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities to live in your 30s

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$350

the monthly cost of moving past Columbus

Seattle runs a little pricier than Columbus. The case has to be about something other than rent.
landable, recorded on the seattle entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,193/mo

45% more expensive than Columbus(vs $1,511/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$332/mo less in state tax than Columbus

vs 3.99% in Columbus

03after rent

$6,140/mo

$350 less than Columbus

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

04a house here

$791k

126% more expensive than Columbus

vs $350k in Columbus

05metro size

4.0M

vs 2.2M in Columbus

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

182

pleasant days a year, in seattle.

Columbus barely cracks 171 pleasant ones.

A month here packs 2.2× the events of Columbus.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

93/100

63% higher than Columbus

vs 57/100 in Columbus

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

·walk score®

98/100

15% higher than Columbus

vs 85/100 in Columbus

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

90

181% more than Columbus

vs 32 nonstops in Columbus

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