<prompt> Human: Hey guys! I just received an offer from a big tech firm headquartered in Silicon Valley. After interning there for a summer I really didnt like the bay area and now have the option to transfer to Boston or Seattle. From a purely financial standpoint, which city would allow my salary to go the furthest? Ideally I would be renting a studio or one bedroom without roommates and living pretty frugally cooking, not going out too much, etc. Total compensation Im receiving is the same for both locations 160k with about 40k of that being stock. Ive worked in Boston before and got around fine without a car - is this possible in Seattle? Also, Washington state doesnt have income tax but their sales tax is much higher than Bostons. Does anyone have experience or insight on whether these taxes balance out?  <response>: The tax situation is a lot better in Seattle. Youre looking at a 6.25 sales tax in Boston and 9.6 in Seattle, but a 5.1 flat income tax rate in Massachusetts and 0 in Washington. Simplifying massively, if you make 100k and buy 20k of taxable goods rent, groceries, etc are not subject to sales tax, then your post tax income is 94.9k in MA and 100k in WA, your spend is 21.25k in MA and 21.92k in WA, so youre left with 73.65k in MA and 78.08k in WA.Public transport is more extensive in Boston and more reliable in in Seattle. Traffic is a lot better in Seattle. You dont need a car in either city, but itll be easier to not have one in Boston.Rent and other costs are about the same. Its still a bit cheaper to buy a place in Seattle, but this is changing fast.Seattle is pretty isolated with abundant natural beauty and a temperate climate. Boston is part of a huge megaregion with lots of nearby cities and a more extreme climate.It really comes down to which city you prefer being in. 