Affordable living in Seattle on 66k???? Y/N/NA

[evergreentori]

I had this same question back in 2011. At the time I was a single mom and made a little under 60K. I did eventually buy a 2-bedroom town home in Sammamish for 265K in 2013. Money is a little tight, but doable. My place is really nice and in a great neighborhood. I am moving now b/c I am getting married, but I feel like I did pretty well on 60K in the Seattle area on my own. I had some people tell me that I should move to Olympia or even Idaho due to the cost of living in Seattle, but I am glad I didn't.

[Cecilia M]

Originally Posted by Sciency

Thank u very much. I have been googling for housing and learning the area maps. The work is in Shoreline, but I would love to be on UW Campus in the evenings. What would be the best area to reside in? Thanks in advance.

I'm kind of confused as to why you want to be on the UW campus at night?

I would not try to live in Lake City. It's not a good neighborhood. It's probably the only neighborhood in NE Seattle that I would not live in.

The U-District? Maybe, IDK. But it's overrun with students and low-quality temporary housing.

If your work is in Shoreline, you probably do want to keep your car, and consider living in Shoreline or another suburb in the north end. Traffic in Seattle is a real issue, so living near where you work is a great way to improve your quality of life. Also, Shoreline is a nice, safe area that is still pretty close to Seattle and it's much more affordable than Seattle. The further north you go, the more affordable you will find it. If you keep your car, you can always drive into Seattle for recreational reasons and then drive back home to Shoreline or wherever.

[Cecilia M]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Regardless, Zillow shows pockets of 1-bd apartments available for $1,000 and under in both Lake City and the U District.

Zillow lies... haha

You *might* be able to find a cheap apartment in Lake City, but you don't want to live in it.

People scoff at the Apodments but I know lots of people who live on minimum wage and they are pretty happy when they find a decent room to stay in with roommates who aren't psycho. I think there's a market for Apodments. At least it's somewhat private and I think the buildings are all pretty new?

[Sciency]

Dear all

Hmmm Yes I accepted the job in Shoreline. Now I am browsing through apartment list in and around Shoreline. UW is very important to me due to the nature of my career.

Oh well...considering the fact that I made it living in DC, Atlanta etc, hoping to be fine in Seattle.

Grateful thanks for all ur kindness & time.

[Cecilia M]

Originally Posted by Sciency

UW is very important to me due to the nature of my career.

You might find the expectations you have for hanging out on a campus at night are different than wherever you are coming from. UW is an urban campus and it's pretty quiet at night.

That having been said, if you do make friends in the UW area and you want to visit them at night, it would still be better to live in Shoreline and travel to the campus for social time, rather than the other way around.

[Sciency]

Thanks. Cecilia. The reason for being on UW campus would be work in the evenings. Yes I agree with u abt living in Shoreline.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by Sciency

Dear all

I would love to move to Seattle. It seems like Seattle has a lot to offer (career wise and also for personal growth). However, with the 66k offer (cut the fed tax plus minimum retirement, Lo & behold abt 12k goes away). Not sure if I can afford to buy at least a cheap Townhome. I learned about the Apodement from this blog (whoever posted it, bless their heart). I am not even sure if I should bring my car along as Parking rental fee needs to be paid (at residence plus at work!!!). My desire is to buy a home, a little home, I mean affordable (200k or less). Will I be able to afford renting in N Seattle? Any words, any advice?? I am originally from India, been living in the US since 20 yrs. Oh btw, the job offer is for 3 years. Yup, I love the job description!

There's been a grand total of 0 town houses in North Seattle sold for $200K or less this year. A few years ago you could find them at that price, but now that's more Edmonds/Mountlake Terrace/Lynnwood pricing, with few in the north reaches of Shoreline.

[Truth11]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

There are studios, micro-apartments, room-shares, and apodments available in many parts of Seattle for $500-800, especially on Capitol Hill or in the U District, where a car is not only not needed, but a hindrance.

From what I see all the time on the news,there seems to be quite a bit of crime in good ol Capitol Hill;