Salary comparison Seattle vs Bay Area (sales, private schools, calculator)

[psivadasan]

Hello,

I'm planning to move from the Bay area to the Greater Seattle area and was wondering how salaries compare between the two areas. I have some information from cost of living calculators(Sperlings, Payscale) but I'm not sure if they are accurate.

mod cut:

I'm moving with a family of 4. I currently earn close to 130k in the bay area and was wondering what an equivalent salary would be in the greater seattle area. Any information or help is appreciated.

Many thanks,

Meja

[Seacove]

Personally, I think the salaries are similar but the cost of housing is lower in Seattle. Based on my work, I could live in either location and when the weather is getting me down, I consider the Bay Area. Then I look at the housing costs and state income taxes. Food is higher here too, we don't have those great markets with seven avocados for a dollar. I feel like produce is higher than steak here sometimes.

[415_s2k]

If you're going to be working in the tech industry and can keep your salary (or something close to it), you're going to enjoy generally-lower housing prices in Seattle than you'll find in much of the greater Bay Area, and substantially lower than in SF. You also enjoy no income tax, and a 9.5% sales tax in King County (versus 10.5% in San Francisco, and 9.25 in Alameda County).

I've heard it stated that the cost of private schools is generally lower in the Seattle area than in the Bay Area, but this is somewhat outside my scope of expertise...

The cost of food is definitely higher, which is something to consider if you have kids. Produce is substantially higher because much of it has to travel further to get up there; much of it is grown in the Central Valley of California so it's cheaper down here. Even the cost of frozen goods is a bit higher, and prepared foods were generally considerably higher. This made a big deal to me when I was on an hourly wage, but less when I was salaried... though still enough that ultimately, I really wasn't saving any money in Seattle versus the Bay as a single guy in his 20's.

The cost to register and insure a car is generally lower in the Seattle area than down here; it cost me about $375 to register mine in CA in '08, and when I moved to Seattle six months later, it only cost me $110.

[execard]

How is the move to Seattle coming along? I may move there with family soon and wanted to check with you on your views. I am currently in San Jose.

Originally Posted by psivadasan

Hello,

I'm planning to move from the Bay area to the Greater Seattle area and was wondering how salaries compare between the two areas. I have some information from cost of living calculators(Sperlings, Payscale) but I'm not sure if they are accurate.

mod cut:

I'm moving with a family of 4. I currently earn close to 130k in the bay area and was wondering what an equivalent salary would be in the greater seattle area. Any information or help is appreciated.

Many thanks,

Meja