Materials Engineer Salary: Portland vs Seattle
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Portland
United States
$105K USD
$105K USD
$105K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-20%
Portland vs Seattle
🇺🇸 Seattle
United States
$131K USD
$131K USD
$131K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Portland | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $105K USD | $131K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $105K | $131K | -20% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $105K | $131K 🏆 | -20% |
| 25th Percentile | $84K USD | $105K USD | — |
| Median | $105K USD | $131K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | $131K USD | $164K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | $113K USD | $142K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Portland offers a Materials Engineer salary of $105K USD, while Seattle offers $131K USD — a difference of -20% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Portland's salary is worth $105K in US purchasing power terms, versus $131K for Seattle. This means Seattle offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.