5 ms·

What I like about the prospect of Seattle (when compared to NYC, being in that area) is: Cost of living: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?c

What I like about the prospect of Seattle (when compared to NYC, being in that area) is: Cost of living: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=United+States&city=Seattle%2C+WA http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country... And it often (surprisingly because of the weather..?) gets better-than-most rankings in "happiness:" http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-10-happiest-and-saddest-cities-in-the-us/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-10-happiest-and-saddest-citi...

donohoe 12y ago
I didn't find the cost of living a huge difference in real terms (compared to NYC). I paid the same rent but got a bigger place (which was nice) but I found food prices more expensive overall and I had to but a car. Thats a limited subset of things but you get the idea. Your experience will vary.
- seanmcdirmid 12y ago
  Were you living in the east side? If so, you aren't really living in Seattle, but Bellevue. I got by just fine without a car in the city, food is much cheaper than the east side also. Housing is smaller (for the same amount of money), however.
  - donohoe 12y ago
    I lived Downtown for a few months, then in Ballard.
    - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
      I see why you might need a car in Ballard.
apathia 12y ago
No state income tax is significant. An equal typical tech salary would be ~10% larger post-tax in Seattle than NYC. The trade-off is double sales tax and less funding for public services. Great city to live below your means in.
potatolicious 12y ago
I've lived in both, cost of living is deceptive. Non-housing cost of living is nearly identical between the two cities, and housing is really starting to get up there. There's still a good advantage to be enjoyed, but it won't last long. The 2BR I had for $2200 a couples of years ago is now going for upwards of $3000. Housing cost growth in Seattle is starting to hit a hockey stick curve reminiscent of the Bay Area. Tax rate is noticeably lower than California or New York though, so you've got that going for you (though the lower taxes can be felt in other, less awesome, ways - see the constant cutbacks to the already fairly anemic transit system). Side note: you're also going to need a car. Yes, even if you live in urban neighborhoods like Capitol Hill or Belltown. One of my big takeaways is that while you can get by just fine with transit and shopping locally, Seattle itself is a car-centric city. Trying to force a transit-only lifestyle on it means you'll simply be insulated into one of the few neighborhoods where that lifestyle is reasonable and never leave.
- chrismcb 12y ago
  I'm not sure what you mean by non housing cost. Food and going to the movies is right 25% more in NYC then Seattle. Wa doesn't have income tax either. Yes hosting in Seattle is going up. But it is no where near NYC rates
  - potatolicious 12y ago
    You also get paid substantially more in NYC. In the old days (like 2009-10-ish) Seattle's housing was cheap enough that, even accounting for the pay difference, you're still ahead of New Yorkers by a fair margin. In 2014 I wouldn't be so sure. Last time I checked I saw a lot of 1BRs going for >$1500 in Capitol Hill. That's a ~$1K a month difference from NYC rents, so if the New Yorker is earning ~$18K more (to account for tax) they'd be even already. As far as I can tell the pay gap is wider than this. And this rate is going up, seemingly faster than salary growth in the city. The advantage may still be there, but in any case it's being rapidly erased. The main thing Seattle has going for it financially now is the lack of state income tax, which genuinely makes a big dent compared to other tech hubs. A ~5-8% difference in overall taxation comes out to quite a bit. Housing in NYC is expensive, but it's less insane than most people know. The difference between a $1K apartment and a $2K apartment is 100%, but it's also $12,000 a year. Does the pay gap between the two cities cover the difference? Does it actually put you ahead? Side note: these "cost of living index comparison" sites are trash. I've lived in Seattle, SF, and NYC, and in all 3 places my food costs have been downright identical. The food costs between the cities are so close together that they're well within the error bars.

donohoe 12y ago

I didn't find the cost of living a huge difference in real terms (compared to NYC). I paid the same rent but got a bigger place (which was nice) but I found food prices more expensive overall and I had to but a car. Thats a limited subset of things but you get the idea. Your experience will vary.

seanmcdirmid 12y ago
Were you living in the east side? If so, you aren't really living in Seattle, but Bellevue. I got by just fine without a car in the city, food is much cheaper than the east side also. Housing is smaller (for the same amount of money), however.
- donohoe 12y ago
  I lived Downtown for a few months, then in Ballard.
  - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
    I see why you might need a car in Ballard.

apathia 12y ago

No state income tax is significant. An equal typical tech salary would be ~10% larger post-tax in Seattle than NYC. The trade-off is double sales tax and less funding for public services. Great city to live below your means in.

potatolicious 12y ago

I've lived in both, cost of living is deceptive. Non-housing cost of living is nearly identical between the two cities, and housing is really starting to get up there. There's still a good advantage to be enjoyed, but it won't last long. The 2BR I had for $2200 a couples of years ago is now going for upwards of $3000. Housing cost growth in Seattle is starting to hit a hockey stick curve reminiscent of the Bay Area. Tax rate is noticeably lower than California or New York though, so you've got that going for you (though the lower taxes can be felt in other, less awesome, ways - see the constant cutbacks to the already fairly anemic transit system). Side note: you're also going to need a car. Yes, even if you live in urban neighborhoods like Capitol Hill or Belltown. One of my big takeaways is that while you can get by just fine with transit and shopping locally, Seattle itself is a car-centric city. Trying to force a transit-only lifestyle on it means you'll simply be insulated into one of the few neighborhoods where that lifestyle is reasonable and never leave.

chrismcb 12y ago
I'm not sure what you mean by non housing cost. Food and going to the movies is right 25% more in NYC then Seattle. Wa doesn't have income tax either. Yes hosting in Seattle is going up. But it is no where near NYC rates
- potatolicious 12y ago
  You also get paid substantially more in NYC. In the old days (like 2009-10-ish) Seattle's housing was cheap enough that, even accounting for the pay difference, you're still ahead of New Yorkers by a fair margin. In 2014 I wouldn't be so sure. Last time I checked I saw a lot of 1BRs going for >$1500 in Capitol Hill. That's a ~$1K a month difference from NYC rents, so if the New Yorker is earning ~$18K more (to account for tax) they'd be even already. As far as I can tell the pay gap is wider than this. And this rate is going up, seemingly faster than salary growth in the city. The advantage may still be there, but in any case it's being rapidly erased. The main thing Seattle has going for it financially now is the lack of state income tax, which genuinely makes a big dent compared to other tech hubs. A ~5-8% difference in overall taxation comes out to quite a bit. Housing in NYC is expensive, but it's less insane than most people know. The difference between a $1K apartment and a $2K apartment is 100%, but it's also $12,000 a year. Does the pay gap between the two cities cover the difference? Does it actually put you ahead? Side note: these "cost of living index comparison" sites are trash. I've lived in Seattle, SF, and NYC, and in all 3 places my food costs have been downright identical. The food costs between the cities are so close together that they're well within the error bars.