AirBnB Portland vs Seattle comp?

New
vEkV12

New

vEkV12
Sep 14, 2018 21 Comments

I have an offer pending from AirBnB but they won’t give me numbers until I pick a city. My preference is Portland but comp is obviously a factor and if it’s too much of a drop I would opt for Seattle. Does anyone have a rough total comp comparison between the two cities? The offer is for an L5 engineer

comments

Want to comment? LOG IN or SIGN UP
TOP 21 Comments
  • Adobe
    fNOL51

    Go to company page Adobe

    fNOL51
    Home prices in Seattle are quite high so you will be not be left with much after mortgage payment. In Portland, you get more bang for your buck and Seattle is only 2 hour drive from there.
    Sep 14, 2018 2
  • New / IT
    loulou

    New IT

    loulou
    I don’t but remember Seattle has no state income tax.
    Sep 14, 2018 5
    • Intel
      !GPTW

      Go to company page Intel

      !GPTW
      TheRedPolo some states require you to pay income tax if you earn income there even if you don’t live there
      Sep 14, 2018
    • Correct. Taxes are based on the state you earn and you pay the difference to the state you reside (which there isn't any, but you don't get refund).
      Sep 14, 2018
  • New
    vEkV12

    New

    vEkV12
    OP
    I should clarify. I’ve done a lot of research and am leaning towards Portland for many reasons. What I’m looking for are estimates as to what the AirBnB offer would be in either city. E.g. “Average TC in Seattle is $400k, in Portland it’s $350k”

    I realize most people won’t have this but I’m hoping someone that’s maybe transferred within AirBnB might. Or anyone that’s gotten an offer in Portland as I can’t find any salary data there at all while there’s a good bit for Seattle.
    Sep 14, 2018 2
    • Adobe
      MoneyPenny

      Go to company page Adobe

      MoneyPenny
      Got it, mate. No idea on TC, but as someone who truly misses the Rose City, I’m biased towards telling you to take the PDX offer for COL alone - and I just think PDX is prettier with access to ocean, mountains, and desert much easier than WA. 😉
      Sep 14, 2018
    • New
      vEkV12

      New

      vEkV12
      OP
      I'm definitely leaning that way, thanks for the feedback! And at a 10-20% cut I'd probably take it. I'm trying to figure out if it might be more than that
      Sep 14, 2018
  • Adobe
    MoneyPenny

    Go to company page Adobe

    MoneyPenny
    I live in Washington (but lived in Portland for a cumulative ten years prior). Yes, Washington has so no state income tax, but EVERYTHING is way more expensive - housing, food, registering your car, high sales tax, etc. Portland has no sales tax for the record.

    With the lower cost of living in Portland, I’d take the Portland offer.

    That being said, while many big companies have satellite offices in Portland, Seattle has far more big companies here. So long-term, if that’s what you want, you may want to move here. However, a good compromise is take the job in Portland, as you can always move north in a few years - after you save the money you would’ve spent here in the first place.

    And I call bullocks on this data from Sperling’s. I used $100K as the base salary. I’d say you’d need more like $150K if living in the city.
    Sep 14, 2018 3
  • Nike / Eng
    IrAi64

    Go to company page Nike Eng

    PRE
    Intuit
    BIO
    Backend SWE at Nike
    IrAi64
    If the comp is close between the two, pick Portland. The cost of being forced to live in Seattle is easily worth ~10-15% TC imo
    Sep 14, 2018 0