Cost of living in the greater seattle area (Bellevue, Kirkland: sales, rental)

[chefcook]

Hello:

I'm hoping some of you can help me out.

I'm an american living in europe and have lived here since I was 10. I have a wife and 2 kids (1 and 3).

I have been offered a project manager position at an IT company in the Kennmore area in Seattle. In order to make the decision, I need to figure out if what they're offering will be enough for my family in Seattle.

First it would make sense to describe our living stadards. We live in a house with a large yard, and our kids are not in school yet, but I want them to get a good education (being in Germany, my expectations are high for education). Although we don't have luxurious things, we do have 2 cars we like, fast internet, cable TV, the kids have their own rooms, two car garage...etc. and are able to save about 600-700$ a month. We live "comfortably".

Now, the offer I received is somewhere from 80-85K. In your experience, could we rent a comfy place, get the flat screen, the 2 cars, the semi nice area to live in and good schools for that money? I would want to live north of Seattle, but no farther than Mill Creek.

Any help is much appreciated!!! Thank you!

[texastrigirl]

IMO, it's doable if you kept track of every single penny you spent and cut out most frivolous extras. If you could get up to $100K at least, you might be a little more comfortable assuming you want to keep saving that kind of money as well. Would you have car payments also in addition to rent? You also probably need to get a handle on what you mean by "good" schools as well. You can find good schools in most of the districts but if you want an overall high performing school district K-12, that is a different thing and of course costs more money. Not sure this is much help!

[azoria]

Outside of the dollar/cost value of living in Seattle, I would say you have other issues leaving your current location and moving here. Life is more than a paycheck, and in Seattle $85,000 just ain't that great. Certainly would not be enough to entice me to leave Europe.

You said you have 2 kids.....American public schools are generally pretty terrible. Very few of them as good as the worst of European schools. College education here, even in in state schools, is becoming prohibitively expensive. Not a good trade off for you.

America has steadfastly refused to invest in public transportation (something that is perceived as a bastion of poor people) Therefore, to survive in the US, you will need to support at least one and probably two vehicles. This includes purchase price, gas, registration, maintenance and repairs, and insurance which is much more costly than in Europe. Vehicle expenses in America will eat a whole lot of your disposable income.

Flat screen TV's can be bought anywhere. You don't need to come here for that?

85K in Seattle is bare middle class with nothing left over. And oh yeah, we don't get much in the way of vacations or sick leave here, so if you did manage to make enough money to take a vacation and get a measly week off work, there's no where to go anyway. Overall, at this moment--if I were you--I'd stay in Europe.

[chefcook]

Thanks for the input. The flat screen comment was just supposed to mirror a base lifestyle. I don;t even really need one .

I would be needing two cars, yes. But one area that you can't even come close to Germany is taxes and gas prices. about 49% of my check goes to the government. Gas? we're at 8$ a gallon right now, and that's after oil dropped world wide last year. So I can't imagine it being more expensive to have a car there. Even the car prices... . I drive a 2008 VW GTI with all the bells and whistles... It cost me 50K here...yes, 50K for a small little GTI. That's 37,000 Euros. I couldn't afford anything bigger that also has a nice interior and media package. But anyway, 2 cars would be needed, yes.

I'm very aware of the overworked society there. People live for their jobs ...very unhealthy...I have also come to know that almost all people tie their identity mainly to what they do...Strange for me, but... .

Here, right now, I make the equivalent to 65K. I live near Frankfurt, Germany. And we do alright. Nothing fancy, but definitely middle class here.

The reason for my querries are for 3 main reasons:

1. I don't want my kids growing up thinking it's of value to be a jock and College is about drugs and sex.

2. My wife will have a difficult enough time adjusting to the system and culture there without worrying about money, so if we're going to have to stretch every penny, I wouldn't do it.

3. Community is also an issue (more for my wife cause I wor alot). So finding ways into communal environments is important.

100K they wouldn't go for, but maybe 90K if I can really sell myself. I just don't want to move "down" the ladder. I'd like my familt to be a little more comfortable or just as comfortable as right now, so if it's going to be a huge trade off...

Any more input from more people would be great. The more, the merrier.

Thanks to you 2 that already gave me your 2 cents . Do you think you could find the time to give me some specifics as to round-a-bout figures for rent, car payments, food expenses, and such. I know it's hard to do without specifics, but just a means of getting an idea would be great.

[packet]

If you can make it on $65k US in Europe, you can certainly make it on $85-90k in Seattle. You're not looking to move to New York City or San Francisco, so it's certainly quite a bit more probable that you'll be able to live on that salary. Taxes in the US are quite a bit lower than in Europe. There's no state income tax in Washington, although there is a fairly high sales tax. Check out one of the paycheck calculators to see how much cash you'll have after taxes and start doing the math.

A new GTI runs around $20k last I checked. I don't have a car payment so I couldn't tell you the monthly figures.

For housing, check out craigslist for rental rates in the various neighborhoods. You might also want to take a look at a place on the east side (east of lake washington). Schools tend to be better and rent is a bit cheaper.

Food isn't terribly expensive. I end up spending $150-200/month for 2 people, and I don't exactly shop around for the best deals.

[KGreene]

$100-200/mo on food for TWO?- What are you eating!?!?!? I want to know your secret!

Its very expensive here. My husband and I make almost 60K, live in a popular Seattle nighborhood and are barely able to feed ourselves. Seattle has so much to offer, but you need money. We can't afford to do anything extra. Thank goodness for Trader Joes, and the movie cube at Fred Meyer! Owning a home with a large yard in the kind of neighborhood you want to be in is a pipe dream considering how much it would cost, and your other expenses with a big family! Thats why we are looking to get out!

[GJBenn85]

Originally Posted by packet

Food isn't terribly expensive. I end up spending $150-200/month for 2 people, and I don't exactly shop around for the best deals.

Do you only eat rice?

[wsugrad03]

80-85K is a base middle income salary here and, depending on your situation, really doesn't give you a great quality of life. However....if you want to know some estimated cost of living figures, here's a rough guess based on my experiences:

Rent: $1400-2000
Food: $500-600
Car Payments: $250-400 each
Car Insurance: $200 for both cars
Gas: $100 per car
Electricity: $100
Water: $60
Cell Phone: $100
Cable w/high speed internet: $110
Healthcare: Totally depends on your benefits.

The Kenmore area is mostly part of the North Shore school district, which is pretty good. However, I would probably want to live further south (Kirkland) in the Lake Washington School District because the schools generally better.

Europe to the States is pretty tough. Healthcare costs are astronomical here, so you need to have top notch healthcare insurance. Hopefully this is provided through your employer. You also need to take control of your own retirement here. There is very little social safety net for retirement in the states, so that is another hefty monthly cost you need to factor in. $85 for yourself is enough to get started in Seattle, but it's pretty tight finances for a family. If you think this job will have a lot of upward mobility in terms of salary and a solid future, then it might make sense to move here.

I have friends from Norway that moved back here to make more money. However, they plan on retiring back in Norway and enjoying the retirement and healthcare benefits in their home country.

[blkdogb]

Hello chefcook,
I am in a somewhat similar situation as you are, except we are thinking of moving to Seattle from Hong Kong, and I don't even have a job offer! Here's my thread: http://www.city-data.com/forum/seatt...g-seattle.html

I'm also in the I.T. field (Java programmer), so I am wondering how did you get your current job offer in Seattle? How did you use your overseas work experiences to your advantage? I'm not looking for a management position though.

[eskercurve]

chefcook, Seattle is a very friendly city and your wife probably wouldn't have trouble finding friends so long as she has interests and isn't afraid to join clubs or find buddies. Being outgoing helps. No one will seek you out - that is just how it is, you have to make the initiative in the US.

Seattle's also very safe, so long as you stay out of the Ranier Valley areas and Aurora Ave. The Eastside is also very safe.

If I were you I'd look in Bellevue, Kirkland, Bothell, and those areas. You will need a car, though public transportation is quite good once you get near major roads or highways. Closer you get to Seattle, the better the bus system is.

I second the concern about if you move to the USA< your life will be consumed by work. Many professions here stress their workers and make them work 45+ hour weeks. Last year I worked 50+ hour weeks (told my boss I won't anymore, now that I'm married & want to enjoy her).