[Resacups]

I am currently a second year staff at a mid-size firm in Atlanta. However, for about 6 months now I have been toying with moving to Seattle. I love the city and I am ready for the next chapter and what better place to start it than Seattle.

I am convinced that I will stay in Atlanta for another busy season, in hopes of moving into a senior role with a new firm next year. It is very clear from visiting and researching that the cost of living in Seattle is insanely higher than even living in the city here in Atlanta.

That being said, can anyone recommend a good source for researching salaries or even provide some ballpark numbers so that I can gauge what realistic expectations should be? I wouldn’t mind a transition to Big 4 or staying in the mid-size range, so any information would be useful.

Thanks in advance.

BEC: 01/09/12 PASSED
AUD: 05/29/12 PASSED
REG: 07/19/12 PASSED
FAR: 11/12/12 PASSED

[LCCPA]

I live near Seattle! Just Google “salary comparison” and you'll come up with something good. Salaries really depend on the position and location. When I was looking at getting hired as a staff, salaries were $40-45k for the first year. Smaller firms outside the city pay a little less (around $40-42k), but cost of living is less than downtown Seattle.

[Resacups]

That's a little discouraging to hear. The cost of living is so much more compared to Atlanta and my starting salary was low 50's.

BEC: 01/09/12 PASSED
AUD: 05/29/12 PASSED
REG: 07/19/12 PASSED
FAR: 11/12/12 PASSED

[Author]

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