Seattle or Bust? (Burien, Rainier: 2015, rental market, homes)

[Eva_B]

Hi, I'm considering a move to Washington state, preferably the Seattle or surrounding areas, but I'm still in the researching stage. I'm looking for a place where I'd want to live the rest of my life, but finding a city that could fit me better than where I'm at now wasn't as easy as I thought...

I like rain and clouds, but I'm not sure how easily I'll be able to adjust to the cold. Anybody originally from a dry, hot weather state who managed to acclimate to wet-and-damp without too much trouble?

Washington is known for its technology, but what's the job demand and environment like for the healthcare profession, especially lab techs? Is this career field as understaffed, underpaid, and overworked as any other big city? Which hospitals or private labs would be good to work for or avoid?

Is public transportation reliable enough that I wouldn't need a car to commute to work? I'm somewhat scared to use a bus stop at night, but I may not have much choice if I can't get a dayshift job. :/

Can single people really afford to live here on their own?

Is there a service that can offer a local's type of guided tour but isn't 'touristy'?

Thanks for the help!

[Bolo99]

Yes TS, the further away from Seattle central, the further your money will stretch as far as housing goes. If you can land a job that pays 50k or so, that should be enough for you be survive on your own out here. I heard next to the tech industry, the healthcare industry is the 2nd best market here.

[perigee]

Seeing how medical residents at UW are making around $50k, I don't think lab techs are going to be making anywhere near that.

Are you able to pursue advanced training?

[homesinseattle]

I'm a Miami boy, been here 26 years, love it.

[Eva_B]

Originally Posted by perigee

Seeing how medical residents at UW are making around $50k, I don't think lab techs are going to be making anywhere near that.

Are you able to pursue advanced training?

Is there a difference in salary between the research lab techs vs the clinical lab techs who work in the hospitals? I'm a little concerned (and surprised) at the lower salaries of healthcare professionals in Washington state who aren't doctors or nurses. How can there be a demand for them but the salaries aren't as good? I make 70K where I'm at now and fairly comfortable because of the lower cost of living, but I don't mind downsizing to 50K if I really want a change of location. I'm assuming there are plenty of people who make less than 50K and can still scrape by without too much stress though?

I'm not interested in more schooling so any advanced training for me would have to come hands-on with the job.

So what would be the affordable city choices in Washington state for single people that are within a 30 minute work commute to Seattle central?

[Eva_B]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

I'm a Miami boy, been here 26 years, love it.

If you don't mind me asking, what motivated the move from Florida to Washington?

[Bolo99]

TS, for what it's worth and for a frame of reference I found this:

The median income in the Seattle area (half the residents made more money, half less) was $65,677 in 2012, not very much more than $65,405 in 2011. That's a little better than the rest of the U.S., where the national median household income was $53,607 in 2012, up a bit from $53,545 in 2011.

It's 2015, so I bet it's probably more like around $70k now. I think an income of $50-60k in this region would just be scraping by. I feel that living in this area really requires 2 decent incomes to live comfortably. I'm a 1 income family, and it sucks a lot.

[Eva_B]

Thanks for the stats, Bolo99. I'm really depressed now that I probably couldn't afford to live there on my own, but would you move out of Washington state then to a different city where the 50K salary could go farther in terms of living expenses? Seattle seems comparable to NYC in terms of cost, but I think NYC offers more diversity when it comes to better paying jobs?

[perigee]

Affordable and Seattle do not go together. You will be competing for housing with people making over $100k and a lot of those people would love to live within a 30 minute commute (though with today's traffic, I feel like that leaves you within city limits).

Lab tech is a very broad term, but if you are making $70k and are only fairly comfortable in a low COL city, I don't know if Seattle is the city for you, even accounting for your willingness to downsize. If you do decide to make the move, I strongly suggest having a job lined up, it's a highly competitive employment and rental market here.

You should plan a trip out here, preferable soon while we still have short days and get a taste of the city.

[87112]

Skyway, MLK area, Rainier Beach still affordable along with Burien and Sea Tac.