So really, how is the rain?

Depends on who you ask and the particular year. A normal winter isn't bad as days may remain overcast but there is typically a mix of wet and dry days. However in a bad winter it can rain every day for months on end which can start to take a toll on one's well-being, particularly if your work ours mean you don't see the outside during mid-day. I found it necessary to supplement vitamin D and use a SAD light during the winter when living in Seattle. That being said, I consider it a small price to pay for living in such a beautiful part of the country; the summers really do make the rain worthwhile (and with the right clothing, getting out in the cold winter rain is fun too). I don't know that I'll move back to Seattle just from a cost of living perspective, but could easily see myself returning to the Puget Sound region one day.

I just moved from Seattle to Saint George Utah. I honestly love the Seattle area. There are always things to do and always things to explore. The rain does get tiring after awhile. It's kind of nice to live in Utah where I get sunshine 300 days a year vs Seattle which gets about 150 days of sun. A lot of the time it was really cloudy there. I wouldn't worry about getting sunburned. You're safe year round until the summer (which is gorgeous). We tend to get a lot more days of sun in the summer.

I moved to Seattle from Michigan recently. I like to watch the weather forecast in the midwest, and it makes me thankful to be in WA. There has been a lot of cold and snowy days early in the season in Michigan this year. I would take rain and 50 degrees in December any day, so I am pleased with the climate.

A colleague next to me turns on a large SAD light that beams all day long, so I get that benefit.

There are a considerable number of people here who moved from other states on the west coast, particularly CA. They tend to have an issue with the rain, I've found. It's all relative.