Seattle vs. Austin (George: condo, loans, hotel)

[guylocke]

Between all this talk on gas, and taxes, and cost of living i'm getting depressed.

Surely there must be some silver lining in a purely economical sense to Seattle? (disregarding non-economical aspects like the absolute beauty and excitement the city has going for it)

Some tax must be low compared to the rest of the country, some type of break here, or some financial thing there. Please let it be known!

I don't understand how Seattle got to be so expensive, ALMOST on par with cities that aren't even in the same ball park like NYC and San Francisco. As much as everyone here adores Seattle, it's not one of the elitist "hubs" of American reverence like NYC or LA. You know what I mean! Don't take that the wrong way, I'd take Seattle over them anyday!

Would a combined income of roughly 150k - 170k do alright in the city limits?? I should say MORE than alright cause that amount of money is a great deal in many parts of the country.

[Embraer]

I think residents of Seattle greatly overestimate their traffic. Sure it may seem bad, but in reality it is not nearly as horrible as most other places.

According to a study done by Forbes, Seattle is not even in the top 12 cities with the worst traffic.

Where I live, Dallas, we are # 6 and it sure feels like it... I would take Seattle traffic any day compared to what we have to deal with down here. I can't wait to move up to Seattle!

Here is that study:

http://www.forbes.com/logistics/2006...07traffic.html

Given that Los Angeles is #1 not only for traffic but also pollution I would wonder why ANYBODY would want to live in that town.

[wythors]

It's just a fact of life here. The cost of living is very high. If you don't live here, it probably just doesn't make sense. Very good friends moved here from Oklahoma City so she could complete her doctorate at SPU. He worked with me and makes about the same amount of money. While they were here they rented a small house in Kirkland at $1400 a month. After she graduated, they moved back to OKC where he makes the same amount and she has a great job. They purchased a beautiful 2800 sf brick home on a corner lot with a pool for $145,000. Here, that house is $600,000 easily. Washington has the highest gas tax in the country. Theorhetically, this is to pay for transportation improvements. Yeah, right. I guess, if you're looking for a bright side, WA doesn't have a state income tax. Yet.

[wythors]

Originally Posted by Embraer

I think residents of Seattle greatly overestimate their traffic. Sure it may seem bad, but in reality it is not nearly as horrible as most other places.

According to a study done by Forbes, Seattle is not even in the top 12 cities with the worst traffic.

Where I live, Dallas, we are # 6 and it sure feels like it... I would take Seattle traffic any day compared to what we have to deal with down here. I can't wait to move up to Seattle!

Here is that study:

http://www.forbes.com/logistics/2006...07traffic.html

Given that Los Angeles is #1 not only for traffic but also pollution I would wonder why ANYBODY would want to live in that town.

Study. Yeah, right.

I've lived in LA and Seattle is right there. Rush hour on southbound I5 into the city starts at 5:30 am and often doesn't end until about 7:00 pm. It's even hugely slow mid-day on Saturday. 405 north and south can be just as bad. My policy is to stay off of a freeway if at all possible.

Here's my study: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/ Keep an eye on this starting about 4:00 in the afternoon or 6:00 in the morning.

[jwb123]

Several of the other years, Seattle has made that list though. But I totally agree with the poster above me, and his study

Yes, Seattle has no state income tax, but has a high sales tax. Property taxes aren't particularly low - but they aren't as high as say, FL or TX. You also have to pay a high fee for car tabs each year.

We were on an income of low to mid 100k (aver. between 120-145k) we are a family of five and left the area for a lower cost of living, and higher quality of life.

Seattle has the "beautiful city" thing in the bag. At some point though, being a beautiful city only goes so far.

[guylocke]

Well having 3 rug-rats is no cheap endeavor either in ANY city.

[jwb123]

Meh, we aren't having any problems now

[jwb123]

Would a combined income of roughly 150k - 170k do alright in the city limits??

I don't know what your debt to income ratio is - but you should be able to buy a condo based on that salary. I know I have heard insane prices on condos (like 800 sqft for $300k) but I don't know what is true and what is inflated. "Do alright" is subjective. Will you have money for some frivelous activities? Yes... depending on what you want to do. Buy a boat? Doubt it. Drink champagne with a catered dinner made by a personal chef, every night of the week? Doubt it. You know what I mean? It's hard for anyone, online, to be able to tell you how comfortable (or not) you will be on your income.

[noplacelikeWA]

We are family of 7 and lived VERY comfortably in North Seattle on about 65k annually. We had a 5 bedroom house with 2 cars, a rv and have credit scores in the 750's. Our entire family enjoyed many recreational activities and we ate out 2-3 times a week. The traffic in Seattle is really BAD during peak commuting hours, the rain/gray days lag on for months at a time and the population is very dense up and down I-5 from Everett to Tacoma!

Seeking the sun in April 2006 we moved to Texas, splitting our time between Austin and San Antonio. Expecting the cost of living to be better we agreed to a pay cut to 45k. Unfortunately the cost of living savings does not exist however we still manage to enjoy a VERY comfortable life since becoming debt free thanks to a good profit on selling our house in WA. What we have found is that while you can get more house for your money that is as far as your dollar will go.The property taxes are much greater here, the insurance is greater and the sales tax rate is exactly the same as it was in WA. The traffic would be better if there wasn't construction everywhere and TEXDOT is doing a horrible job keeping up with the insane growth. The population density is much better here but not for long, everybody seems to be moving to Texas.

[jabm67]

Austin has fire ants. Seattle doesn't yet.