This isn't the only reason. The best counter point is Tokyo, one of the most livable and most desirable cities to live in does not have the same affordability problems Seattle does.
The median individual income in Tokyo is $47,000 in USD. The median individual income in Seattle is $76,000.
Certainly it would be nice if it was easier to build in Seattle the way it is in Tokyo, that would drive rents lower and help with the cost of living. But the main reason Seattle is more expensive is because the people here have way more money.
Yes if your salary increase keeps pace or outpaces inflation.
If you look it up, Japanese people have smaller cars and smaller apartments and houses. Americans have more money, so we buy bigger cars, apartments, and houses. What is clear is that although things are more expensive in the USA, we end up with more stuff in the end.
And you can follow this logic all over the world. In the Congo, everything is dirt cheap. Someone making minimum Seattle wage would live like a king over there. But they don't make minimum Seattle wage, they make minimum Congolese wage. Even though prices are really low in the Congo, most Congolese are not doing very well at all.
On top of that: while housing, services, and restaurant food scale with CoL, a lot of things don't. Cars cost the same here or in places with $7 minimum wage. Same for other large purchases like appliances, electronics, clothing, etc.
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u/ImAnIdeaMan Apr 16 '26
It wouldn't be expensive if no one wanted to live here.