Moving from Boston to Seattle

The Story

Boston-to-Seattle is tax + tech career move. MA 5% → WA 0% saves $5,000/yr. Housing essentially equal ($755K vs $750K), COL 10% lower. Pull: tech career step-up (Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Google Seattle), Pacific NW culture, no Boston winter, Cascade Mountains, Pacific access. WA 0% income tax preserved (with 7% capital gains tax >$262K).

Why This Move

Why people move from Boston to Seattle.

MA 5% drops to WA 0% — saves $5,000/year on $100K
Tech career step-up — Microsoft, Amazon, Google Seattle, Meta, Boeing
Pacific NW culture — coffee, craft beer, food scene
Cascade Mountains — skiing 1 hr east
Pacific Ocean + Puget Sound access
Cost of living 10% lower
Housing essentially equal
WA 7% capital gains tax >$262K (still tax-friendlier than MA)

Cost Comparison

The money side of MA → WA.

Boston

Median home$755,000
Income tax5% (MA flat)
Cost index162

Seattle

Median home$750,000
Income tax0% (WA)
Cost index145

What to Do in Seattle

Things you'll want to know about your new city.

Bookmark this page — these are the icons of Seattle, organized by what kind of day you're planning.

Outdoors & Recreation

Space Needle — 605-foot observation tower from 1962 World's Fair
Olympic Sculpture Park — Free SAM-affiliated outdoor art park on waterfront
Mount Rainier National Park (1.5 hrs SE) — 14,411-ft volcano; Paradise wildflowers in summer
Olympic National Park (2-3 hrs west) — Rainforest, mountains, coast — ferry from downtown
Discovery Park — 534-acre park with beach access at the Sound

Culture & Arts

Pike Place Market — 1907 farmers market; flying fish, original Starbucks, gum wall
Chihuly Garden and Glass — Dale Chihuly's blown-glass installations next to Space Needle
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) — Music, sci-fi, fantasy; Frank Gehry building
Pioneer Square (Underground Tour) — Historic district; underground city tour

Family-Friendly

Seattle Aquarium — Sea otters, octopus, salmon ladder

Where to Eat

Seattle's essential restaurants.

The dining list every Seattle resident knows by heart. Save the spots, work through them.

Canlis Pacific Northwest fine dining Queen Anne

1950 institution; legendary tasting menu
Salare Pan-American Ravenna

Edouardo Jordan's restaurant; James Beard winner
The Walrus and the Carpenter Oysters / French Ballard

Renee Erickson's iconic oyster bar
Junebaby Southern Ravenna

Edouardo Jordan; James Beard winner; 'best new restaurant'
Paseo Cuban sandwiches Fremont/Ballard

Cult sandwich shop
Spinasse Italian Capitol Hill

Hand-cut tajarin pasta; Piedmont focus
Dick's Drive-In Burgers Multiple

Seattle institution since 1954; Macklemore namedrop
Nue Global street food Capitol Hill

Worldwide street food in one menu

Where to Live

Best Seattle neighborhoods for Boston transplants.

Mapped to the Boston neighborhoods that probably feel like home to you.

Capitol Hill

If Cambridge was your scene — walkable, hip, restaurants, art
Ballard

If Somerville was your speed — walkable, breweries, indie
Wallingford

If Brookline was your speed — leafy, family, walkable
Mercer Island (suburb)

If Wellesley was your model — affluent, top schools, $1M-$5M+
Bellevue (suburb)

If Newton was your model — master-planned tech hub, top schools
Kirkland (suburb)

If Lexington was your model — affluent, walkable downtown, top schools

Climate & Walkability

What daily life feels like in Seattle.

Climate

Marine west coast. Mild, wet winters (40-50°F). Cool, dry summers (65-80°F). Famous gray season Oct-May with light rain (38 inches/year). Stunning summer weather June-Sept. 152 sun days/year — fewer than reputation suggests but real.

Summer57-78°F
Winter37-47°F
Sun days/yr152
Rainfall38 inches

Walkability

Walk Score74/100
Transit Score60/100
Bike Score71/100

Seattle is very walkable — daily errands rarely require a car.

Outdoors & Recreation

Mount Rainier — hiking, climbing, day trips year-round
Olympic National Park — rainforests, mountains, coast
North Cascades — hiking, climbing (2 hrs north)
Puget Sound — sailing, kayaking, ferry rides
Snoqualmie / Stevens Pass — closest skiing (1 hr east)
Seattle is one of America's most bikeable major cities

Reality Check

What changes about your daily life.

MA 5% becomes WA 0% — $5,000/year saved on $100K
Housing essentially equal — slight savings
COL 10% lower
Climate flips humid continental to marine West Coast — gain rain (152 days/yr), lose snow
Property taxes lower (WA 0.9% vs MA 1.2%)
T → Sound Transit (similar urban, expanding light rail)
Cambridge biotech replaced with Seattle biotech (Fred Hutchinson, Allen Institute)
Sports — gain Seahawks/Mariners/Sounders/Kraken, lose Sox/Pats/Celts/Bruins

Driving Routes

How to drive there.

I-90 W direct

3,030 miles via Cleveland, Chicago, Sioux Falls, Billings, Spokane. 45 hours / 5 days.

Move Logistics

What it takes to move 3,030 miles.

Full-service (3BR)$10,200-$18,200
Container/PODS$7,200-$10,800
DIY (26-ft truck)$5,400-$9,200
Best monthsApr-Oct (avoid Rocky Mountain winter)
Lead time10-12 weeks ahead

USDOT-registered.

Common Questions