Is 40,000-45,000 enough to live in Seattle? (Tacoma, Kent: coupons, apartments)

[dregoinplaces]

Can a single 23 year old male live off of a starting salary of 40,000-45,000 in Seattle? If so, what kind of living arrangements could he afford? What are some recommended neighborhoods that would be affordable?

[VirtualErik]

hope so, I'm a single male, leaving this Friday to move up there for a job that pays under 35k/year.

[robrath]

For OP, Seattle is a big area, and some neighborhoods will be cheaper than others. If you are talking about your own apartment within the city of Seattle, probably not. However you may be able to find room share (e.g. renting a bedroom in a house that is shared with others) in a house around the UW area for about $800-$1000 a month (going to vary greatly depending on the quality of the bedroom and what is shared). It's all about budgeting to make it on that income.


As for VirtualErik, 35k (I'm assuming that is net income) is going to be real tough, but again, budget and stick to it as if your life depends on it.


On that income, I would NOT recommend a car. Insurance/gas/parking is going to eat you alive on that income. Get an ORCA card and buy a monthly pass to get around.


Good luck!

[VirtualErik]

Originally Posted by robrath

For OP, Seattle is a big area, and some neighborhoods will be cheaper than others. If you are talking about your own apartment within the city of Seattle, probably not. However you may be able to find room share (e.g. renting a bedroom in a house that is shared with others) in a house around the UW area for about $800-$1000 a month (going to vary greatly depending on the quality of the bedroom and what is shared). It's all about budgeting to make it on that income.


As for VirtualErik, 35k (I'm assuming that is net income) is going to be real tough, but again, budget and stick to it as if your life depends on it.


On that income, I would NOT recommend a car. Insurance/gas/parking is going to eat you alive on that income. Get an ORCA card and buy a monthly pass to get around.


Good luck!

I signed a lease for a 1 bedroom in Kent, small but works for just me for just over $900, I have paid off all my debts, I have a car but no car payment, I also have an orca card already, I'll be working at SeaTac.

[MorningGloria]

Assuming around 900 per month for housing (also assuming youre making 45k and putting 1/3 of your income towards housing) I personally did not find anything in that price range when I was looking for housing in Seattle proper. Granted I was looking in the 2200k range and may have missed it. I did however see two bedroom and one bedroom with den options for about twice that in nice areas. Perhaps you can find a roommate willing to pay a little bit more for the master bedroom?

[Ruth4Truth]

The two posters could afford an apodment, if they can find an opening in any (see: Capitol Hill and University District). That is something like a dormitory arrangement where separate bedrooms each with private bath are arranged around shared kitchen facilities and a common room. Otherwise, Erik is probably facing renting a room in a shared household.

For the OP, there are 1-br apts. in the north end of town, around Northgate (convenient transit center nearby for commuting downtown or to University), or in the 'burbs immediately north of town (good public transit there, for commuters). The OP would have around $1250/mo. for rent, if sticking to 1/3 of income. Could maybe stretch that, if no car. There are 1-br.'s available at $1200-$1275/mo. in that area. For someone working downtown, West Seattle has quite a few 1-br. apt.'s in the $1200-$1300 range. Commute to downtown can be either by bus or passenger ferry/water taxi. There are even 2-br. houses for rent there at around $2000/mo., if the OP wouldn't mind taking on a housemate.

[Hemlock140]

Rent in Seattle has the fastest increase rate in the country. Most eastside cities within a decent commute have even higher rent. Be prepared to live farther away and use public transportation for a long commute. I see people taking the bus in from Tacoma, even Gig Harbor, Olympia and Dupont. Those can be as long as 2-1/2 hours on the bus, plus walk/drive/transfer time at each end. The median family income in Seattle is over $80,000, so with so many moving here it's hard for people making less to manage. There are less expensive apartments in parts of Seattle, but the demand is unreal, and landlords can be very picky about who they rent to. It's become extremely competitive. There continues to be a lot of new construction but they are high rise buildings in more popular areas where rent is higher. Kent is a good location for Erik, since he'll work south of Seattle, but if working downtown that would be a long commute, 90 minutes-two hours by bus each way, about 1/2 hour by train but you still have to get from home to the Kent train station and from the Seattle train station to work.

Seattle rents now growing faster than in any other U.S. city | The Seattle Times

$80,000 median: Income gain in Seattle far outpaces other cities | The Seattle Times

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by VirtualErik

I signed a lease for a 1 bedroom in Kent, small but works for just me for just over $900, I have paid off all my debts, I have a car but no car payment, I also have an orca card already, I'll be working at SeaTac.

Congrats on that! Good job!

[87112]

40-50k before taxes? No its not enough, you will be clipping coupons and not be able to land a good looking girl to sum it up.

[thatguy950]

Not even close, even living WAY outside of the city, just take commuting expenses into account and you're still not going to have enough. Anywhere you could maybe afford to live you're probably looking at 1.5-2hrs each way during rush hour