Living Between Bellevue and Seattle

I’m a recent college graduate moving to Seattle for work in a few months. I’m going to be working in downtown Seattle and I’m planning to live with my friend who’s going to be working in downtown Bellevue. I am planning on relying on public transportation while my friend is going to be bringing her car for her to use for her commute. We are trying to find a neighborhood that is somewhat equidistant between our two offices, with a maximum of a 30 minute public transportation/walking commute for me and a 30 minute drive for her. Low crime is very important to us, and our budget is $2,000 per person. Neighborhoods we are considering are: SLU, Capitol Hill, Downtown Bellevue, Eastlake, Montlake, and Mercer Island, although we are open to any other suggestions. Neither of us are from Washington so we don’t know much about the various neighborhoods.

Any advice on making this decision would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance!