COL of NYC vs Seattle?

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by jjinla

The prices in Seattle for homes in coveted areas close to the city aren't drastically different than NYC suburbs believe it or not but the homes are much newer and have more sq ft. in WA (but they have a ton of wasted space and silly rooms I'm finding...really, if you people are so into the outdoors why do you need 5000 sq ft for a 4 BR?)

Anyway, for our 2500 sq. ft 4 BR/2.5 bath, our property taxes are $25k. I kid you not. And I actually know several people in this town that have tax bills over $50k and still send 2-3 kids to private school. Must be nice!

Of course in WA you are saving $400+ on a train pass, your utilities, food, etc. is way cheaper.

I'm not sure how people make it in NYC. The average income is 20% less than Seattle and cost of living is 40% more. Obviously your income far exceeds the average or you wouildn't be able to afford a house with a $15K yearly property tax but how does the average Joe do there in NYC?

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

I'm not sure how people make it in NYC. The average income is 20% less than Seattle and cost of living is 40% more. Obviously your income far exceeds the average or you wouildn't be able to afford a house with a $15K yearly property tax but how does the average Joe do there in NYC?

they dont, thats why eryone is angry and bitter, round here to get even remotely the same quality of life as cities like seattle u gotta be super rich so its a whole diff ballgame, but usually people sacrifice this to get NYC amenities, otherwise its not worth it and they move
its important to note tho that more than half of nyc housing is rent subsidized so many people dont pay that much rent, but it doesn do anyth good for u in the long term, u jus stuck in sum sh1thole apt in some bs hood, but it shows how prices are outta control that they have to resort to this cuz otherwise there would be nobod livin in the city except rich people but then there would be no support staff for all the infrastructure

[jjinla]

You cut every other expense. Yes we make more than average but are not rich by any measure...or even close to it. I'm not kidding when I say that half of all of our income is paid in taxes between federal, state and local.

I can't remember the last great vacation we had. Kids don't wear expensive clothes, and we watch what we spend to an extent. In NYC even if you find a rent stabilized apartment (you won't!) you'll need $30k a kid for private school.

The average person DOESN'T live in NYC. They live in the outer boroughs, or the ghetto, or in a subdivided apartment with makeshift walls, or in the suburbs and take the train in.

So to answer the OP, $50k is just a COL differential...you won't be gaining anything in NY with that bump vs. Seattle. However, as it was for us, NY can be great for your career if you are willing to work hard and then leave when you can. If you've already moved a lot, though, that may not be your desire. My kids are young so Seattle is hopefully the last or second to last stop for us.

[UrbanAdventurer]

Seattle/Seattle metro area is a far more congenial place to raise a family. That I will grant without question

[jjinla]

That's why we are getting out while we can besides financial reasons.

Here is a funny story...or sad depending on how you look at it. For my son's kindergarten class in NY they had to draw a picture of what they loved and detail it in writing below. The answers were insane...
- I love going to the Yacht Club
- I love going to Turks and Caicos
- I want to live in Disneyworld (clearly didn't follow directions!)

My son was the ONLY kid in the whole class that said "I love my family" and even included our family cat in the picture. Yep, that's why a lot of these kids end up with drug problems in HS. I can't imagine growing up knowing you are almost certain to do worse than your parents.

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by jjinla

That's why we are getting out while we can besides financial reasons.

Here is a funny story...or sad depending on how you look at it. For my son's kindergarten class in NY they had to draw a picture of what they loved and detail it in writing below. The answers were insane...
- I love going to the Yacht Club
- I love going to Turks and Caicos
- I want to live in Disneyworld (clearly didn't follow directions!)

My son was the ONLY kid in the whole class that said "I love my family" and even included our family cat in the picture. Yep, that's why a lot of these kids end up with drug problems in HS. I can't imagine growing up knowing you are almost certain to do worse than your parents.

Huh... my older son would have put "hero factory" (a LEGO product line) but he has autism and that's his "specialty". I'm going to have to google Turks and Caicos because I'm not even sure what/where that is... definitely sounds richer than my blood

Yeah, so I'm totally not sold on NYC. My husband had interviewed for a faculty position at Columbia many years ago and I was like "nope, sorry sweetie, sounds like an awesome prestigious job and all, but I don't think we'll all fit in a broom closet". (seriously, faculty have to be independently wealthy in order to work in places like NYC or Berkeley).

You are definitely going to love coming out here!