Affordable towns relatively near Seattle with job opportunities (Spokane, Bellevue: apartments, houses)

[Superbear]

Hi, I posted before about moving to Seattle but have decided for a more affordable option within an hour or two's drive. I'm a 27 year old guy, single with no kids, have a car, some college but no diploma and 20 grand saved, plus a solid work history.
My top choices are Port Townsend, Bellingham and Olympia but are they really expensive and could I find work? I know Spokane and the tri cities are affordable but is there a decent town near Seattle where I could get by for a while looking for a job?
I'm moving from Salt Lake and want to plant roots and spend possibly the rest of my life in WA but don't want to end up broke and homeless. Thanks for any input!

[isaackko]

Bremerton is cheap, and you are a 40 minute ferry ride away from Seattle.

What type of work do you do?

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by Superbear

Hi, I posted before about moving to Seattle but have decided for a more affordable option within an hour or two's drive. I'm a 27 year old guy, single with no kids, have a car, some college but no diploma and 20 grand saved, plus a solid work history.
My top choices are Port Townsend, Bellingham and Olympia but are they really expensive and could I find work? I know Spokane and the tri cities are affordable but is there a decent town near Seattle where I could get by for a while looking for a job?
I'm moving from Salt Lake and want to plant roots and spend possibly the rest of my life in WA but don't want to end up broke and homeless. Thanks for any input!

... And what is "affordable"? This means nothing to us without specific numbers.

Originally Posted by isaackko

Bremerton is cheap, and you are a 40 minute ferry ride away from Seattle.

No. A regular ferry ride is an hour from Bremerton to Seattle. Perhaps you are thinking of Bainbridge Island (not cheap, though). They either started or will soon start a Bremerton-Seattle passenger-only ferry which is suppose to be a 30 minutes ride.

The ferry life is expensive (walk-on is cheaper, but still... up to $7/day can eat up a lot) and tedious (having to depend on the schedule).

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by Inkpoe

... And what is "affordable"? This means nothing to us without specific numbers.

Well, if you don't know what "affordable" is, how will specific numbers help you? You know what I'm saying? Specific numbers will mean affordable for some and not affordable for others.

I think, the poster meant "affordable" in relative / general terms. This is why people say that a particular city or town is more affordable than another. In general terms. Without specific numbers.

Why not keep things simple? Some towns / cities, houses, food stores, cars, you name it, are more affordable than others. As simple as that.

[PollyGlott]

Originally Posted by movingwiththewind

Well, if you don't know what "affordable" is, how will specific numbers help you? You know what I'm saying? Specific numbers will mean affordable for some and not affordable for others.
I think, the poster meant "affordable" in relative / general terms. This is why people say that a particular city or town is more affordable than another. In general terms. Without specific numbers.

I disagree. "Affordable" can vary greatly according to what one is used to in one's own city, and according to one's income level. I see folks who expect to get a 2-br for $600, while others crow because they found a 1-br for $1,200. It's all relative! The OP needs to give an idea of his budget, and also what field of work he is in!

[tylee]

What kind of work are you looking for?

There are a lot of cheaper places to live within a couple hours of Seattle. Help us narrow it down! And also, what you prefer, in regard to city versus suburban versus rural, things like that. Are you looking for other single people in their 20s? An active night life? What kind of things are important to your lifestyle?

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by PollyGlott

I disagree. "Affordable" can vary greatly according to what one is used to in one's own city, and according to one's income level. I see folks who expect to get a 2-br for $600, while others crow because they found a 1-br for $1,200. It's all relative! The OP needs to give an idea of his budget, and also what field of work he is in!

And what do you disagree with? This is exactly what I said in my previous post: It's all relative.

For the same person with a particular budget, one city / town will be more affordable than another. You never heard that people say in general that this city is more affordable than another? For example, Portland, OR is more affordable than NYC (in general)

You can try to argue, of course, and say that, well it depends and add all kinds of situations, budgets, and so on and overcomplicate a simple issue to a point that you will not be able to give a simple answer to a simple question.

Do you really need to hear a Life Story to answer a simple question?

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by movingwiththewind

Well, if you don't know what "affordable" is, how will specific numbers help you? You know what I'm saying? Specific numbers will mean affordable for some and not affordable for others.

I think, the poster meant "affordable" in relative / general terms. This is why people say that a particular city or town is more affordable than another. In general terms. Without specific numbers.

Why not keep things simple? Some towns / cities, houses, food stores, cars, you name it, are more affordable than others. As simple as that.

Because clarity keeps things simple.



And duh, it goes without saying that Tri-Cities, Spokane, Port Townsend, Bellingham and Olympia are more affordable than Seattle, but he's asking:

... but is there a decent town near Seattle where I could get by for a while looking for a job?

In this case... specifics would help.

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by Inkpoe

...it goes without saying that Tri-Cities, Spokane, Port Townsend, Bellingham and Olympia are more affordable than Seattle...

Well, this one is much better! A really helpful answer! Superbear, do you agree?

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by movingwiththewind

Well, this one is much better! A really helpful answer! Superbear, do you agree?

I'm not really understanding the purpose of your posts. If he's asking for an area that has $500-600/month apartments, then obviously no one would recommend Bellevue. That's what I meant by specific numbers-- as to why that was hard for you to understand...