how expensive is it to live in seattle?

Answer 1

Well, that depends on so many things like are you planning to rent or own?, are you single or married/family?, what kind of lifestyle are you accustomed to?, etc.

However, here are some averages:
The average home price is 459K
Seattle's cost of living is 46% higher than the national average.
Average apartment cost $860/month

Here's a couple of places where you can calculate the cost of living in Seattle compared to where you're currently living (or wherever you want to compare it to).
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html
http://swz.salary.com/CostOfLivingWizard/layouthtmls/coll_metrodetail_163.html

Answer 2

I spent nearly 30 years living in Seattle. This includes downtown in the heart of the city, and several outlying neighborhoods.

Like many overcrowded cities, there are new buildings - condos and apartments being built all the time and they aren't cheap. A new 2 bedroom apartment with an open kitchen near the University of Washington can cost upwards of $1,000. A smaller, older studio apartment with some roaches and older plumbing in a nearby neighborhood can cost around $550.

Online reports and even annual articles about it in the local paper tend to be highly inaccurate when calculating rents. Get ahold of the classified section of The Seattle Times or keep an eye on the Craigslist Seattle site to get a better idea.

Like most major cities, Seattle has plenty of dollar and discount stores. Groceries can be a bit pricey - especially things like milk. As for utilities, the electric bill is sent every other month and can vary widely depending on your income. For a studio apartment it's around $60. A phone bill, depending on services, can average aroun $30 for basic service.

Many landlords no longer cover certain things so if you rent, be prepared to pay extra for water, sewage, and garbage services. If you don't recycle you can face a hefty fine for that. Parking in town is too costly, so a lot of commuters take the bus. Most major corporations offer free bus passes to help the environment.

Finally, there is no state tax and no tax on food. Retail sales tax is currently 8.8000%.

Answer 3

It's pretty expensive, but MUCH better than any other big cities in the US.

Also, there are many inexpensive suburbs of Seattle. Renton, Kirkland...
Many people live in these places for cheap and then commute to work in Seattle (15 mins or so).

Seattle is an incredible city- don't pass it up!

Answer 4

Washington is really a major and all know city and is unquestionably worthwhile send a vacation or just visit this city. with hotelbye you'll find more. Among the icons of Washington and the entire America may be the famous White House, the official residence of the President of the United States. The house of every leader except George Washington, it absolutely was formerly developed by James Hoban in 1792, and following being burned down by British allows in 1814 was rebuilt in 1818. Although travels of the inner that include the East, Blue, Green, and Red Areas; the Ballroom; and the State Dining Room must be reserved well beforehand, every tourist to Washington may wish to see that iconic developing, at the least from the outside. Nearby to the White House would be the detailed 1833 Greek Revival Treasury Building and the 1871 Executive Office Building, one of the very striking old government structures in Washington.

Answer 5

Seattle is quite expensive to live in. Everything costs a lot there, parking included. Homes are around half a million and up. I moved away from the area about five years ago, as the gridlock was really getting to me. We now live in central Washington where the jobs are not as plentiful or as well paying, but there is not much traffic, crime, or stress here. Good luck.

Answer 6

I've only visited Seattle not lived there, but it's somewhat expensive. Not the most expensive city by far - it's still cheaper than NYC or San Francisco or Boston or Washington DC but it's still kinda expensive.

Answer 7

in seattle, downtown, a studio apt. is $900-1200. + parking. it is cheaper to live outside of seattle and commute in.