Things you need to know before moving to the Emerald City, Seattle

Things you need to know before moving to the Emerald City, Seattle

Apart from being famous for Starbucks and coffee culture, Seattle is also known as the Emerald City for its lush evergreen forests. The city is indeed a haven for nature lovers. It also has an abundant music and food festivals and despite the rainy reputation, sunny springs and summer can still be enjoyable and you can still do hiking, kayaking and other outdoor lifestyle during those seasons.

One of America’s most-liked cities, Seattle is also one of the country’s most attractive settlements. The natural splendor that surrounds the city, the eclectic cultural diversity and the rich social scene are one of the reasons why the city is now listed as the 19th best place to live in the United States, according to a new ranking released by U.S. News & World Report.

Seattle is home to some very well-known giants such as Amazon and Microsoft, as well. These big names draw professionals from around the world and create a vibrant and growing tech industry.

There are a lot of great opportunities for careers in cybersecurity, cloud computing, and data analytics which entices a lot of people to move to Seattle, but the cost of living in the city is on the rise. West coast cities such as Seattle are known for their high rent and food costs. In fact, the cost of living in Seattle is 24 percent higher than the national average, so if you’re thinking of moving, you might want to consider renting first, and here’s a few helpful info about renting in Seattle.

Prepare to pay a little extra because Seattle is 34 percent more expensive than its neighboring city, when it comes to rent. Out of more or less 370,000 housing units in the city, 53% is renter occupied – proof that most people prefer renting over buying their own home.

According to Zumper, a rental listing site and one of the largest and fastest-growing rental platform in North America, the average rent over the past month for a studio apartment in the city increased by 4% to $1,300. For a 1-bedroom apartment, the average rent also increased by 3% to $1,650, and for a 2-bedroom apartment, the average rent increased by 4% to $2,175. Currently, the platform offers around 2400 listings for Seattle. Depending on the neighborhood, you can find a studio apartment for as low $895, as low as $1150 for a one-bedroom, a two-bedroom for as low as $980, $1745 for a 3-bedroom unit and for as low as $2595 for a four-bed apartment.

Compared to previous year, there is a decrease of 3% in the average rent for a 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments in Seattle, while there is no movement on the average rent for a studio type. Meanwhile, there was a 7% and 4% increase on the average rent for a 3-bed and 4-bed apartments, consecutively.

When moving to Seattle, make sure you’re prepared enough to face the high cost of living while enjoying all the perks that the big city can offer.

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