For added context, I’m a recent transplant from Indiana and found a job making $60k a year, with annual raises. My fears about moving up here before making the jump primarily centered around the horror stories I’ve heard of the COLs: “rent, groceries, insurance, etc. are all prohibitively expensive unless you make six figures.”
Ok, I’m living in a microstudio apt in the middle of the city with all utilities included, rent is about $775 a month for the next year. It’s a promotional deal so it’s gonna jump to $1000 a month after my current lease is up – I’ll likely find a new place with roomies (which is actually something I wanted to do anyway), likely averaging me around $850-900 a month. Ok, this is fine.
I have no car and exclusively use public transit to commute or go out for the night, saving me tons alone. I can easily get some very filling breakfast/lunch meals from Uwajimaya for $7 max. I have the $6 7-11 pizza deal for my work lunch too. Maybe I’ll the the trolley up to QFC and stock up a bit too once every 2 weeks.
My point? Perhaps I lucked into a very particular situation, but I’ve found that if you’re willing to make some sacrifices, do your research and have a bit of patience, you can definitely make do pretty easily up here. Adding up all my expenses together (plus blowing money on stupid bs sometimes lol), I’m banking around $1,500 a month.
Not to downplay the COL fears entirely, in many situations it can be truly rough, and yeah I likely won’t be able to buy property out here but that’s not something I really care about at this stage. Who knows how mortgages/rents will look up here in the not-implausible scenario that Amazon leaves Seattle proper.
submitted by /u/AnaKaspkachiyan
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