Did you move to Washington state?

Question

What were some costs that you had to pay. For example, I know in Michigan, you have to pay a $50 dollar start up fee for getting a phone turned on in a new residence. When we moved to California, it cost $20 for a new driver's licence ($8 in Michigan) and nearly $1000 for new plates for the car! Not to mention California car insurance was just astronomical!

We are moving to Washington State...any expenses you can alert us about?

Thank you for all your great answers. Jerkholes will be reported.

Answer 1

It was $45 to start my phone up.
Pay $45 for your first five-year Washington driver license ($20 for your examination and $25 for your license). An additional $20 fee is paid for each expired application or test failure.
Tags were all different but you can look here http://www.dol.wa.gov/vs/feecharts.htm

There is a new weight fee!?!? 0 to 4000 pounds is $10
They did that to me in Florida as well. Called it an "impact tax" I called it BS, but I didn't have much of a choice did I? It was way more than $10 though. I believe it was over $100 for a Dodge Shadow (very small light car)

Good luck! I grew up there and plan on going back next year.

Answer 2

Many of the fees are the same as any state. We payed 90 dollars to start up with Puget Sound Electric, but after a year, we got the money back. I don't have anything but a cell phone so I'm not sure about start up fees. If you look around, you can get deals on start up fees such as signing up for cable, many will waive the start up fee if you ask or during certain months.

Sales tax in the Seattle area is 8.9 percent roughly. There isn't state tax and you can deduct your sales tax on your taxes (there is talk that they will take this away.)

I LOVE Washington State. It is gorgeous. You can go to the mountains, visit the desert, go to the ocean, rainforest, anywhere you'd like. There is a ton of culture here, I'e been everywhere in this great United States, and I love the northwest the best.

Answer 3

I lived in WA for 4 years but I don't know what the current prices are. One thing I can alert you to is the fact that the sales tax is very high because the state has no income tax. No sales tax on groceries and prescriptions. The state sales tax is 6.5 % and then you pay local tax which is another 6-7 % (those rates vary).. so by the time all is said and done, you end up paying 12-13 % in sales taxes.

http://dor.wa.gov/content/taxes/sales/#whatis