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When Seattle residents tick off the reasons they love living here, the cost of living is not generally one of them. But according to Forbes, Seattle ranks among the top 10 of cities where you get the biggest bang for your buck.
Forbes looked at the relatively high-paying jobs in the Seattle area — the city led Forbes’ magazine’s recent list of job growth in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and manufacturing — combined with housing costs that aren’t as crazy as those in New York or San Francisco, and ranked Seattle No. 9 on its “Cities where a paycheck stretches furthest” list.
Seattle’s 2011 average annual wage, adjusted by cost of living, was $53,874. That compares to No. 1 Houston, at an adjusted $66,933.
One of Seattle’s rival tech cities, San Jose, Calif., came in at No. 2 on the list with an adjusted average annual wage of $61,581. In San Jose, high wages make up for some of the worst housing affordability among the 51 metro areas considered.
