on $100k a year, leaving Seattle
changea dispatch from
albuquerque
NM
35.08°N
106.65°W
Albuquerque is green chile on everything, the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset (the name literally means watermelon), and the Balloon Fiesta in October when 500+ hot air balloons fill the sky. The old town adobes feel like the 1700s, the food fuses Native, Mexican, and Spanish in ways you won't get anywhere else. Breaking Bad fans will recognize half the city, and locals are good-natured about it.
in our guides
the verdict
under Seattle, every month
Albuquerque gives you room Seattle doesn't. Same gross salary, lower monthly cost of living.
a quick ledger.
$1,489/mo
32% cheaper than Seattle(vs $2,193/mo)
5.9%
$492/mo more in state tax than Seattle
vs 0% in Seattle
$6,353/mo
$213 more than Seattle
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$351k
56% cheaper than Seattle
vs $791k in Seattle
924k
vs 4.0M in Seattle
field notes, weather & such.
205
pleasant days a year, in albuquerque.
Seattle barely cracks 182 pleasant ones. Hot stretches show up, though: 34 days above 95° here, 0 in Seattle.
Lighter on events: Seattle packs 6.0× more into a month.
81/100
13% lower than Seattle
vs 93/100 in Seattle
Closest outdoor draw: Sandia Mountain Wilderness, 13.4 mi.
94/100
4% lower than Seattle
vs 98/100 in Seattle
23
74% fewer than Seattle
vs 90 nonstops in Seattle
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