I want to leave Seattle cause it's too expensive. Immediately Austin, Denver (or boulder), and Portland come to mind as reasonable alternatives.

It's just about money. You can have an absurdly well paying job in Seattle and it really doesn't matter because you still can't afford a house. You can pay absurd amounts for a small condo. You can have a god awful commute. Or you can move 3 hours south and your money goes further while you still get the appealing parts of living in a city.