<p>Hey, I've been trying to weight the pros and cons of University of Washington and UC Santa Barbara before making my final decisions. Does anyone know how the cost of living in Seattle compares to that of living in Santa Barbara or have any other advice for my decision making process? Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm an alum of UW (many many moons ago), and I absolutely love Seattle. It's a beautiful, vibrant, exciting city. The cost of living is high-ish, but are you living on-campus? If so, you won't be much impacted by it other than the cost of your room & board, which you probably already know.</p>
<p>Here are some things to know about UDub:</p>
<p>The campus is gigantic, and lovely with an amazing variety of architecture (don't miss Suzzalo Library) and gorgeous greenery. There's a stunning vista of Mt. Rainier on campus. It doesn't constantly pour in Seattle as many people think, but there are many cloudy days, and it does mist/drizzle. On the other hand, spring and fall are glorious. Do a google image for "uw quad, cherry blossoms." UW is essentially a city, with every imaginable student service, interest or activity available to you. There are a ton of intramural sports available, and of course, UW is a big player on the stage of varsity sports. When I was there, Greek life was thriving, if you're interested.</p>
<p>Seattle itself is a gem. You probably know of the attractions that draw tourists -- the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, and the like. You can also tour the original underground Seattle, ride ferry boats across Puget Sound, visit the Experience Music Project (very cool), tour the Boeing plant, see a working ship canal lock system, just to name a few. It's got a good public transportation system, so all of this stuff is easily accessible from the University. It's a city on water and on hills. It's racially and ethnically diverse (as is UW). If you like snow sports, it's just a couple of hours from Snoqualmie Pass. It's a politically active city, specifically of the progressive bent.</p>
<p>Hope this helps -- Feel free to PM me if you have questions.</p>
<p>are you a CA resident?</p>
<p>I am a California resident, so I know that the tuition cost will be different, but Im wondering if their is a difference between the cost of living in Seattle and the cost of living in Santa Barbara.</p>
<p>Seattle will be waaaaay cheaper than Santa Barbara. I just googled around and found this cost of living comparison; apparently Seattle is 40% cheaper than SB and housing is 55% cheaper.</p>
<p>link, sample comparison for someone with income of 100k: Cost</a> of Living Comparison: compare Santa Barbara, California to Seattle, Washington</p>