# cost of living San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle



## sebi (Feb 25, 2013)

Hi 
My husband's been offered a job to work in the US and options are to work in Seattle, San Fran or Chicago (they have offices in each of those cities). We're not sure which city would be best and what pay we should negotiate for depending on which city. 

Would really be grateful for some advice on quality and cost of living in those cities and what pay we'd need to negotiate if we wanted a relatively good quality of life in Seattle, San Fran or Chicago for a family of 3 (with a 1 year old and assuming I wouldn't be working for a year or so. we'd probably be looking at renting a 2 bed place, doesn't have to be too fancy just want to earn enough to afford a nice safe suburb).

At the moment we're more inclined to move to Seattle or San Fran because some friends of ours advised crime rate is high in Chicago.

Thanks in advance!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

It depends on the type of visa your husband would get, but if this is a new job with a company he hasn't been working for, chances are you won't be able to work at all. If it's a transfer, then that's a different matter.

I wouldn't rule out Chicago. There are parts of the city where crime rates are high, but the same can be said for just about any large US city. The issue with Chicago is that the weather can be kind of brutal - at least in the winter. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## belgarath (Jul 15, 2011)

You can use numbeo.com to roughly compare the cost of living.

Consider also the fact that Washington state has no income tax.


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## heidirose (Sep 17, 2013)

Hi Sebi!

I live in Seattle, I have visited San Francisco about 5 times, and I have friends that live in Chicago. So here is my take on the three options.

Chicago: I do not know a lot about the city, but it definitely has a bad reputation for crime, and for some nasty winters. If given the choice, I would never move there.

San Francisco: I have always wanted to move there. It is a lot like Seattle, except the cost of living is higher  but the weather is a bit nicer! Yes, there may be more fog, but there is also a bit more sun. It's a very creative and artsy city, absolutely beautiful architecture, and I'm not sure but I think the crime rates are similar to Seattle (which in general are fairly average for a city of that size).

Seattle: I have lived here for about two years, and you do fall in love with this city. That said, I am moving to Malaysia in January for about 6 months to get away from this rain! The summers here are amazing - but usually only for 2, sometimes 3 months. Otherwise, prepare yourself for an overcast and rainy season lasting about 8 months. Crime rate is significantly lower than Chicago, and I would definitely go with the suggestion of checking out Numbeo.

Good luck! All things considered, you have some pretty good cities to choose from


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## anthonyc12 (Sep 18, 2013)

All are great cities.

While Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco are certainly nowhere near as crowded as New York, they're still pretty overcrowded, especially in their cores. Seattle is vibrant, but nowhere near as crowded as Chicago, Boston, or San Francisco.

Cleanliness: Seattle, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco
Ease of owning a car and driving to work: Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston
Ease of solely relying on public transportation: Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle

Having lived in both Chicago and San Francisco, neither felt like that much of a departure from New York, and I imagine living in Boston would be pretty similar to New York as well. If I were in your situation, I'd probably pick Seattle because it will offer you the greatest change from your current lifestyle.


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## GRETZKY427 (Jan 5, 2013)

Ive been to both San Francisco and Chicago, never been to Seattle so i cant comment on that.

One word...SAN FRANCISCO...

If the wife and i could click out fingers we would move from Adelaide (Australia) to San Francisco in a heartbeat...we love the city that much and that after only visiting it for 4 days


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

San Francisco also has the highest cost of living among the cities on that list. A lot of people like San Francisco.


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## GRETZKY427 (Jan 5, 2013)

These are the recent figures for my home city:

You would need around 5,990.37$ (6,336.01A$) in San Francisco, CA to maintain 
the same standard of life that you can have with 5,500.00A$ in Adelaide (assuming you rent in both cities). 

This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.
Indices Difference

Consumer Prices in San Francisco, CA are 17.06% lower than in Adelaide
Consumer Prices Including Rent in San Francisco, CA are 15.20% higher than in Adelaide
Rent Prices in San Francisco, CA are 98.06% higher than in Adelaide
Restaurant Prices in San Francisco, CA are 12.33% lower than in Adelaide
Groceries Prices in San Francisco, CA are 0.58% higher than in Adelaide
Local Purchasing Power in San Francisco, CA is 6.35% lower than in Adelaide


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## mtlve (Oct 3, 2013)

Most people that I know who have lived in Chicago love that city a lot. It is cold there. Some areas may be less safe. 

San Francisco has more mild weather. I was there a few months ago for the first time, and I was surprised about how dirty it was though. People seem to either love or hate it. 

Seattle: You will get lots and lots of rain and gray skies. I used to live a few hours south of here. The weather is pretty mild. I believe that you will get more snow than I had, but you still will not have much. Like SF you will not get the extreme heat that you get in most other areas of the country, including Chicago. I think that Seattle would be nice place to live and relatively safe too. You have to be able to stand the lack of sun and all of the rain though. 

I have lived in around 5 US states, and Portland a few hours south of Seattle was my favorite so far  Seattle is pretty similar but a little more wet


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## Aleksa87 (Jul 8, 2013)

Seattle is the cheapest of the three cities - but not by much. It is beautiful and there’s rarely any traffic. However, keep in mind that it rains a lot. (And I do mean a lot.) It’s very gloomy. It is cloudy 201 days out of the year and partly cloudy 93 days of the year. It’s in Washington State, so there is no State income tax. That means that you take more of your paycheck home. A lot of young professionals and families live in Kirkland and Bellevue, as it is cheaper and only takes 20-25 minutes to get to Seattle. I lived in Bellevue and loved it - there's a huge mall, lots of cafes and restaurants, plenty of parks, etc. 

Chicago is great - there are tons of things to do there. But prepare for the coldest winters that you’ve ever experienced. Most people live outside of downtown due to the high rent prices. Riding the train (especially after dark) is not the safest idea. It has some nice suburbs, but you’re going to have to drive a lot in the traffic to downtown Chicago. 

California has the highest Sales Tax - 9.08%. Real Estate taxes are also out of this world – you should keep that in mind if you ever decide to buy a property. Parking in San Francisco is impossible to find… unless you want to pay a small fortune. Be prepared to walk up and down some hills if you decide to live there. But they sure have some nice weather. 

Overall the housing, food, gas, entertainment is similar in all three.


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