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Which is the better city for people making minimum wage or near it? Seattle benefits from higher wages and no income tax, while Portland benefits from a lower cost of living and no sales tax. Both cities have similar public transportation costs, but which one is better? Is it easier to find employment in one over the other?
I will be moving to one of the two cities in the next year. Plan on sharing a 1 bedroom apartment in a central area of either city and living a car-free lifestyle.
I've looked over what data I can find on COL, wages, taxes, unemployment rates, and housing availability. It is easy enough to make direct comparisons, but when looking at the overall picture it is a bit more complicated. Real-world experience seems to be the best way to compare the two, so especially interested in input from people that have lived in one or both areas.
On a national scale, they're not the best place for a low wage worker, but I'm only interested in how the two compare. I moved from the Bay Area to a low-cost sunbelt city and regret it. I have more purchasing power than in the bay area but my wages still took a significant hit and car ownership is a necessity. I'm wanting to move to somewhere more similar to the bay area as far as culture and amenities, just with a lower COL.
As mentioned previously, neither is great in this regard. However, if you had to choose, I think the answer is easily Portland. You can find a cheaper one-bedroom in Portland's urban core than you could in Seattle and the difference in minimum wage between the two is not that much: $11.25 in Oregon vs. $12.00 in Washington.
What other factors do you care about, though? The cities have some similarities but quite a few differences as well. The Puget Sound region is definitely more cosmopolitan and has more similarities to the Bay Area than the Portland Metro area does.
Last edited by Vincent_Adultman; 01-23-2020 at 05:02 PM..
As mentioned previously, neither is great in this regard. However, if you had to choose, I think the answer is easily Portland. You can find a cheaper one-bedroom in Portland's urban core than you could in Seattle and the difference in minimum wage between the two is not that much: $11.25 in Oregon vs. $12.00 in Washington.
Both cities actually have different minimum wages from the state. Portland being $12.50 and Seattle $15.75 to $16.39 depending on employer size.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vincent_Adultman
What other factors do you care about, though? The cities have some similarities but quite a few differences as well. The Puget Sound region is definitely more cosmopolitan and has more similarities to the Bay Area than the Portland Metro area does.
I've been to both cities and am pretty familiar with their differences and have things I find preferrable about both of them. The two things I'm most interested in finding out about them is which is easier for a low wage worker to live in when you look at COL, wages and tax differences between the two, and which has superior public transportation.
Seattle has a more successful transit system (measured by commute share) but Portland has a more rail-oriented system, and some of Seattle's numbers are due to population density around transit-served areas. Both make it relatively easy to skip car ownership.
Portland is much cheaper. I don't have numbers but an online apartment search will make the comparison fairly evident.
Portland is much cheaper. I don't have numbers but an online apartment search will make the comparison fairly evident.
Do you know if the higher rental prices in Seattle mean your paycheck goes further in Portland? Could the higher wages and no state income tax in Seattle possibly balance the two out or even make Portland less affordable? The rent and wages seem to be the biggest financial difference between the cities but Portland also has a lower grocery cost/no sales tax.
Shouldn't the question be, "Which city has the best opportunity to move me out of a minimum wage job?"?
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