How far will 60-65K get you in the Port Orchard/Bremerton/Silverdale/Poulsbo area? (Seattle: apartments)

[akquestions]

What kind of lifestyle would 60-65K get you in these areas for a family of 4 (mom, dad, 2 kids.) Mom is stay-at-home so no child care costs. Would prefer a rental house vs. apt. and would eventually like to be able to purchase a house but no rush on that. We own one car free and clear and have a monthly payment on the other one of about $150. No other debt. Heath care costs us $600-800/mo. So...whatcha think? Would we be totally scrimping and saving and pinching pennies? Or would it be okay?

[Hemlock140]

Without that healthcare cost you would have no problem at all, those areas are all significantly less costly than the Seattle and Eastside areas. You should still do OK as long as you don't have to make a lot of trips across the water by ferry. Commuting to Seattle by car can cost $600/month jsut for the ferry. Even walking on is half of that. Of those mentioned, Poulsbo is probably the nicest but highest priced , and doesn't have a lot of rentals.

[NWbyNW]

Bremerton will probably the cheapest area, Poulsbo on the expensive side, and Silverdale in between. Silverdale is not an incorporated city, but it is growing, and is the commercial center of the entire county. You can still find cheap prices and rentals around here. Apartments and other rentals are being built around the area.

[Scotty Dosent Know]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Without that healthcare cost you would have no problem at all, those areas are all significantly less costly than the Seattle and Eastside areas. You should still do OK as long as you don't have to make a lot of trips across the water by ferry. Commuting to Seattle by car can cost $600/month jsut for the ferry. Even walking on is half of that. Of those mentioned, Poulsbo is probably the nicest but highest priced , and doesn't have a lot of rentals.

Just an FYI I believe you can get a monthly pass from WSDOT for around $200 if you are commuting daily.

[Sonnenwende]

It was my understanding that it is not a round trip pass. Each way is a trip, so you would actually need two 20 trip passes a month for around $400 for a car commuter. Could be wrong though.

[SitoUK]

As far as I know for most o the Puget Sound ferries you only pay in one direction.

[Sonnenwende]

If you are a walk on passenger, but for car, I know you get dinged both ways: once for the car and passenger and then again just for the passengers.

[Kevin98103]

When I lived in Port Orchard, passenger only eastbound on the ferry was free, but you had to pay both ways by car, although it was less eastbound. Keep in mind the cost of living in Kitsap reflects the pay scale if you work there too; there are almost two economies, those who work in Kitsap and those who commute to Tacoma or Seattle (and have a long commute).

I'd suggest actually seeing all four of these places, you can get a good idea just driving around for a while. I mostly agree with what's already been said about these places but would add: Poulsbo was too far from anything and too many retirees for us, Silverdale was too many bland tract home and strip malls, Bremerton you'll just have to see for yourself, so we chose Port Orchard which is the county seat. I still think it has the most character, was affordable, and least hellish commute out of Kitsap (except Bainbridge) for work. It all depends on what you prefer though, I could understand anybody liking or not liking any of these places.