Is a $100,000 a year salary considered good in Seattle/Bellevue? (insurance, mortgage)

[west seattle gal]

For a single guy, I think it's great.

[Kayela]

Not to get nit-picky but I think you mean options. Upon expiry the value increases greatly so long as the underlying stock price exceeds whats known as your call strike price (likewise if your company will tank insiders will purchase huge amounts of puts which bets against longs). If one simply had shares they could be sold immediately no? The expiry may allude to the handcuff. If you want to get aggressive during hiring I've heard you may ask for options rather than a hiring bonus.

Its also popular to offer employee stock purchase plans at X% of salary for Y% off of the price, the maximum of which is 15% as allowed by the SEC.

Be as nit picky as you want, but I am generally a fairly accurate person. To your point, he actually did start off with options, but they never got above water, and about a year after that the company switched to awarding straight up stock - which is how things went til he switched employers. He now gets a mix of awards and options + bonus.

[JYT]

Originally Posted by branh0913

Hello, I'm a 33 year old IT professional. For the last 6 or 7 years, I've been building my salary by contracting, which means I jump jobs every year for higher pay. Upon coming to Seattle (from Atlanta), my salary was bumped up to 78k to 94k. This is the calculated gross pay for my yearly income. As a contractor I get paid an hourly rate, but when the math is done, this is what I make. Currently I'm in a temp to hire situation, and in 6 months I'm expected to be converted to a full time employee. I was told that the pay will be somewhere between 95k to 100k. While I'm not in love with Seattle, I do like working here at least. However in Atlanta 100k is a lot of money. I just wanted to know if people consider 100k a lot of money in Seattle. I've heard people from the Bay Area say that 100k isn't really all that much in that area, and I've heard some people here in Seattle kind of gasp at an 100k salary. So I wanted to know if 100k is decent money in Seattle.

Right now, I have one foot in Seattle and one in Atlanta. I basically live pretty minimalistic. I don't have a car, I rent a room month to month, etc. I haven't planted my feet in Seattle, and made any real investments that forces me to stay here. But I'm thinking of doing so. I just wanted to know if my salary holds any real weight in Seattle.

As far as my lifestyle goes, I do eat out everyday (I can't cook). I often take taxi's too and from work, so I cna spend close to $50 a day. I only pay $1100 for rent, and this includes utilities (utility cost is included in my rent). Just wanted an opinion.

Is this a secret dating site where people brag they make 100k, ask a question, and sit back waiting for pictures or something?

You make 100k a year, but are wondering if 100k is a lot in Seattle?

[eightbitguy]

Originally Posted by JYT

Is this a secret dating site where people brag they make 100k, ask a question, and sit back waiting for pictures or something?

You make 100k a year, but are wondering if 100k is a lot in Seattle?

Also, he takes a taxi to and from work EVERY DAY and eats out EVERY DAY? That's nuts. Take the bus, man! Pack a sandwich! No woman I know would want to date a man that helpless.

[Gaylord_Focker]

Originally Posted by branh0913

I most certainly have criticism about Seattle. And YES there are a lot of things in Seattle that are not for me. And I really have no problem stating those things, online or offline. Still there are some things I do like about Seattle. If Seattle was absolutely unbearable, I would have just left if I wanted to. There is nothing keeping me here. I could easily just book a one way flight back to Atlanta anytime I want. I have no real obligations that keep me here. And I'm pretty sure I would have no issues finding a job in Atlanta, considering I have more contacts there, and the IT market is still big but with a smaller qualified workforce. However Atlanta isn't the greatest settle down city either. I can be a irresponsible bachelor in Atlanta for the next 20 years if I wanted, because Atlanta caters to that more. But I don't think being an irresponsible bachelor is always the best thing, and Seattle takes me out of that comfort zone.

Just be aware that no evteryone lives life to be stuck in a comfort zone. Some people in this world like a challenge. I'm one of those people.

Seems like you're trying to prove something to this forum or you have a chip on your shoulder.

[Gaylord_Focker]

Originally Posted by JYT

Is this a secret dating site where people brag they make 100k, ask a question, and sit back waiting for pictures or something?

You make 100k a year, but are wondering if 100k is a lot in Seattle?

Was kind of thinking it was a covert brag as well.

[scatteredthunder]

I've heard Amazon is offering considerably more than that now (was ~100K five years ago) so even if he thinks he's bragging, he's not really bragging.

[drshang]

People who make a lot less than 100k think it's a ton of money. People who make 100k think it's "OK." People who make 200k+ think it's poverty level.

All about perspective...

[scatteredthunder]

True, that.

Still, I thought $100K was a great salary until I moved here and wanted to buy a house. Now I'd say it's a very comfortable salary for one person and a relatively decent salary for a family - but not one that's going to let you buy the average priced house. And rents have gone up dramatically since I moved here.

I looked at a site a while back that estimated what a person would need to earn to live a basic comfortable (non-poverty) life - basic amenities, average rental housing, nothing fancy. For my area, I think it was about $60K.

[Legacy Bear]

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

Was kind of thinking it was a covert brag as well.

I agree. Probably a troll post or whatever, but it's an old thread. A person grossing $100K and asking if it's "OKAY" makes no sense at all.