The State of Victoria (Australia) had a $14.50 minimum wage when I lived there, and most baristas and servers I knew wouldn't take jobs that paid less than $20. It's important to note that's the entire wage as AU doesn't really have a tipping culture. Melbourne has been voted 'most livable' city multiple times.<p>Seattle's situation is much more complex. Condos are going up and ST3 is funded, but the city needed that rail system a decade ago. The biggest problem in Seattle, as is the Bay Area, is growing income inequality.<p>When the fishing industry grew in Seattle, so did local shops, bars, hotels and all the other industry that gets paid various wages across the board to support each other. Seattle is a tech capital, and those jobs are very high demand. People in tech often get paid more than lawyers and even doctors.<p>I remember a lawyer telling me very few of the police he's met live anywhere near the areas they work in. People who bought houses decades ago for $150k are watching their neighbours take buyouts and leave, selling their places for $800 to over a million.<p>The disproportionate amount of income given to those in high demand fields hurts everyone else across the board. Seattle is building a lot more housing, unlike the bay area, but there is still a considerable amount of single occupancy housing in the city that's empty simply because the owners won't sell it or bring it up to code.<p>It's more than just minimum wage. There are a lot of complexities in that city where you can't just focus on a couple of numbers.