Salary is a tricky topic - especially in terms of total comp. I think the bigger concern should be whether you will live and be happy with the lifestyle that y

Salary is a tricky topic - especially in terms of total comp. I think the bigger concern should be whether you will live and be happy with the lifestyle that you are currently accustomed to with the dollar amounts involved (live and save). 170K is certainly competitive, don't get me wrong. And in my brief visits there it looks like a very nice place to make a home. But there's a very personal aspect to relocation and money is a big part of it. If you are looking to have kids, does that salary put you in a position to live in a large enough place that is a reasonable distance in an area with a good school district? I don't know, but I do know that it's plenty for that in a lot of areas and not nearly enough in others. People without children don't really understand how much a desirable school district affects the cost of housing. There's also the question of relocation expenses, how they get paid, how it affects your taxes, and what term they commit you to. My advice would be to take a two week trip with the idea of spending the entirety of it looking at areas to live both currently and in the future. I found a good calculator here: http://www.areavibes.com/cost-of-living-calculator/ http://www.areavibes.com/cost-of-living-calculator/ I used something similar during my own relocation and found it to be a decent guideline (I'm sure most of these calculators use a common dataset). Once you do the initial comparison, click into your current location, adjust the salary, and re-compare to get the right numbers. Look at the detail of how your area appears and use that as a basis for understanding the statistical impression it has of Seattle.