Moving to Seattle: What You Need to Know (2024)

There are many great reasons to consider moving to Seattle. The world-class schools, hot job market, unique culture and endless opportunities for outdoor adventure are just the tip of the iceberg at this Pacific Northwest gem.

Seattle is consistently ranked among the 10 best places to live in the United States by U.S. News, and for good reason. Not only is Seattle surrounded by lush evergreen forests, but the city is famous for being environmentally friendly. Plus, its residents earn above-average incomes.

Seattle has a reputation for being a rainy city. While Seattle technically accumulates less rainfall in a year than Houston, New York, or Atlanta, the winter is often filled with gray and drizzle. Nevertheless, there’s nothing better than summer in Seattle. High temperatures and low humidity are a perfect mix for spending a day at the lake or going on a hike.

For these reasons and more, we think moving to Seattle is a fantastic idea. Below, you’ll learn the best places to live in Seattle, how much it costs to live in the city, where to find jobs, and much more. This guide will teach you all you need to know about moving to Seattle. Keep reading to find out what makes the Emerald City so great.

Seattle Neighborhoods

With over 100 distinct neighborhoods, there’s certainly a place for each of us to call home in Seattle.

Early Seattle neighborhoods were founded by immigrants who settled in small communities. These communities were eventually connected by wagon roads and trolley lines. From these small settlements, neighborhoods evolved with the city as it grew. This is why each neighborhood has a personality all its own, which makes Seattle such a great place to live.

“Each neighborhood has unique differences that make it special,” says real estate broker Jeff Reynolds on his Seattle-focused urban living blog UrbanCondoSpaces. Jeff suggests that most people who move to Seattle are looking to become a part of a thriving community. He likens Seattle to New York in that there are boroughs or municipalities that create vibrant diversity throughout different areas of the city.

Overall, Seattle has 18 distinct districts, each of which is divided into smaller neighborhoods. Learning Seattle’s different localities is a great way to begin your search for a new home. Here are several of the most unique and popular Seattle neighborhoods.

The Best Places to Live in Seattle

For Students: The University District

This neighborhood is where the students come to live and learn. The University District contains several educationally focused communities including University Park, Greek Row, University Heights and the Brooklyn Addition. The U District’s epicenter of activity is on University Way. Students call it “the Ave.” The Ave has many blocks of student-friendly cafes, bars, street food establishments, restaurants and hip retailers.
Centered around the University of Washington, this area tends to draw a younger crowd. However, many older Seattleites stick around. This is especially true for postgraduates who stay involved with academia or those who work in the nearby hospitals, University of Washington Medical Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital.

For Young Couples: Capitol Hill

A densely populated neighborhood in the center of the city, Capitol Hill is all about the hustle and bustle of metropolitan living. This is where the crossroads of the entertainment scene, the counterculture movement and commerce collide. Seattleites hail Capitol Hill as the birthplace of the city’s original grunge culture. It has remained the city’s most prominent arts district.
If boutiques, block parties and on-the-edge eateries are your things, this is the neighborhood for you. The spectrum of wealth on Capitol Hill varies from low-income housing to Millionaire’s Row, making this a community for everybody. The list of things to do here is endless, as are the types of people you will meet.

For a relaxed summer afternoon, stroll up and down the Pike/Pine corridor and shop local stores. You’ll find sustainable fashion, bicycle accessories and house plants. Take a walk around Volunteer Park’s circle tower, vista framed reservoir or botanical conservatory. Then catch one of the summertime theatre shows at the park’s amphitheater stage. The opportunities are endless!

For Families: West Seattle

Virtually a city away from the city, West Seattle is separated from the rest of Seattle by the Duwamish River. It’s still close to the skyscrapers. Plus, West Seattle is the gateway to places like Vashon Island — just a quick ferry ride away.

The communities in West Seattle feature an abundance of beautiful parks and beach-laden waterfront. Public schools and infrastructure are top-notch in this district. As it’s the oldest of Seattle’s neighborhoods, the area is steeped in history, too.

For Retirees: Queen Anne

Rising above the hustle and bustle of downtown life, the Queen Anne district is brimming with the finer things in life. This affluent slice of suburbia is home to some of the best views in the city. Residents adore the beautiful parks, landscaped gardens, and historical landmarks that adorn the area.

Upscale homes and thriving retirement communities are perfect for those who want comfort and luxury. The social calendar is always full in Queen Anne. You have live theater shows, neighborhood farmers’ markets and the always-entertaining Seattle Center just outside your front door.

The Cost of Living in Seattle

Living in Seattle is almost twice as expensive as the United States’ average. In other words, Seattle one of the more expensive cities in the country.

The largest expense is housing, whether you’re renting or purchasing a home. Transportation is also a significant cost for Seattleites, but the exorbitant costs end there. However, in many other categories, such as groceries and healthcare, Seattle residents pay a similar amount to many other Americans.

If you’re able to find a steady job, the higher costs can be offset by relatively high incomes. We’ll dig into that in a bit, but first, let’s look at why housing in Seattle costs so much.

The Housing Market: To Rent or to Buy

The average home-buyer in Seattle is paying nearly three times the United States’ average for a home.

These high prices result in high mortgage payments, which in turn results in higher monthly costs for renters.

When it comes to average rent, the costs are still high, but not quite as dramatic as the prices for homeownership. In general, Seattle residents can expect to pay around twice as much as the national average.

“Seattle’s housing market is very competitive,” says President Marco Santarelli of Norada Real Estate Investments onthe company’s blog. He attributes a portion of this to an increase in high-paying jobs in the growing tech industry around Seattle. As we’ll discuss, the Seattle area is home to corporate powerhouses like Amazon, Microsoft, and Expedia. The competitive nature of the housing market and the increasingly lucrative jobs market combine to send home prices soaring.

Seattle’s Stellar Job Market

Counterbalancing the pricey Seattle housing market, Seattle residents earn above-average incomes, making roughly 12% more than a typical American. The Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that hourly wages and yearly salaries are both well above national averages. This includes a significantly above-average minimum wage.

Incomes for top-tier jobs have skyrocketed due to increased demand for highly skilled and well-educated employees in Seattle’s burgeoning tech industry.

Tech Giants

Forbeshas ranked Seattle as the top city in America for technology jobs. Nation-leading job growth in tech-specific and STEM-related fields are to thank for that. Tech businesses abound in Seattle, including everything from investor-funded startups to well-established tech giants.

Microsoft and Amazon lead the way in the Seattle tech industry. Boeing, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the University of Washington fill out the city’s top five employer list. Other big tech organizations of note include Expedia, Tableau Software, and Nintendo of America.

Retailers Based in Seattle

It’s true that several of the biggest companies in the Emerald City are tech-related. Seattle is also home to names in the retail, food and service industries that call the Pacific Northwest home. This includes Nordstrom, Tommy Bahama and Zulily.

Seattle is the 11th largest metropolitan economy in America, according to IHS Global Insight. Both the Port of Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are major gateways for trade into Asia. For this reason, the area is an appealing place for retail conglomerates.

As the world has fallen in love with coffee, they’ve fallen for Seattle. Coffee businesses like Starbucks, Seattle’s Best and Tully’s are known around the world. Yet, they still base their operations around Washington’s Puget Sound.Visit Pike Place Market to see one of the first Starbucks stores. They served coffee here long before the company made it on the Fortune 500 list.

Other big retail brands such as Costco and REI also have their headquarters in the Seattle area, adding to the corporate diversity of the region.

Schools and Universities

Seattle proudly holds the title of America’s most educated big city, according to the Seattle Times. The statistics show that four out of every five people who move to Seattle have a college degree. Three out of every five Seattle-educated students start college within a year of their high school graduation.

Over 500 schools call Seattle home, including a diverse mix of public and private institutions.

Seven universities and colleges reside within Seattle’s borders, with 14 others located within 40 milesof the city. The University of Washington is the largest and most well-known institute for higher learning in the Seattle metropolitan area. Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, and Seattle Central College also house large student populations.

The University of Washington has an outstanding graduation rate, with over 80% of students consistently earning a degree. Among Seattle residents 25 and older, 63% have a college degree while 27% have graduate or professional degrees.

Seattle Has the Best Public Transit

Seattle’s public transportation system is ranked number one in the nation in a study by WalletHub, reported by Business Insider. Many Seattle commuters still rely on cars. However, the diversity, safety and efficiency of Seattle-area public transit make it the best in any major city.

The average workday commute in Seattle is around 30 minutes, which is one of the country’s longer average commutes. Highway bottlenecks are part of the problem, especially as more people have moved to the city. As more people opt to use the different public transit options around the city, such as the light rail, bus lines, streetcars, monorail and bike-sharing, the hope is that overall traffic should decrease over time. Plus, public transportation can help save you money on tolls on popular roadways. This is true for the 520 bridge or the SR 99 tunnel.

The Emerald City is looking to double down on its commitment to go green. Seattle aims to reduce carbon emissions and further enhance its public transit by replacing “1,400 diesel-hybrid buses with rechargeable electric vehicles,” as Mike Lindblom reported to the Seattle Times. The report states that the city’s goal is to “cut carbon pollution in half by 2030.”

The infrastructure for Seattle commuters has undergone significant improvements. The region’s Link light rail system has continued expansion to outer suburbs and more inner-city neighborhoods. The city of Seattle continually invests in the safety and convenience of their cyclist commuters. We have excellent biking facilities that are comparable to those of Europe.

Things to Do in Seattle

The wildly diverse landscape and eclectic mix of people creates endless opportunities for fun and recreation in Seattle. We’re sure you’ll always be able to find something new to do. Here’s a list of a few popular attractions to help get you started.

Museums

Young or old, it’s always great to learn something new. As we’ve already established, Seattle is America’s most educated large city, and that knowledge extends beyond the college campuses.

You’ll have a wide range of opportunities to learn in Seattle. The Pacific Science Centerprovides a fun learning experience for the entire family. They offer interstellar discovery at its planetarium, immersive virtual reality adventures and larger-than-life IMAX experience.

The Museum of Flight, an interactive air and space museum, offers traditional museum tours. The Boeing Academy for STEM Learning provides enhanced education experiences , delivering user-driven education around space, flight and robotics.

Seattle’s Puget Sound provides an aquatic atmosphere that is wholly unique to the Pacific Northwest. You can learn more about life under the sea at the Seattle Aquarium.

For a unique museum experience, check out the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in the Seattle Center. Delight your senses with an array of gravity-defying glass sculptures. After winding through the indoor museum, end your tour in the open-air glass museum. It has spectacular views of the Space Needle.

For local-favorites, pop into the Frye Museum to view the permanent and rotating exhibitions of modern and classical art. Or after your time picnicking in Volunteer Park, visit the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM). You’ll find beautiful collections of classic and modern Asian art. Even the building facade of the SAAM is a work of art itself. It features art deco architecture and grandiose camel sculptures.

Finally, if music is your thing, check out the Museum of Pop Culture. Formerly called the “Experience Music Project,” the museum has a giant statue with hundreds of guitars, exhibits showcasing Seattle legends like Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Kobain and studio rooms where you can make and record your own music on in-house instruments.

Seattle Sightseeing

The sights of Seattle never grow old, even for long-term residents. Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic Seattle landmarks.

The Space Needleis undoubtedly Seattle’s most recognizable building, and the view from its observation deck is breathtaking. Interactive digital elements and a rotating restaurant await at the top. It’s the best way to experience the Seattle skyline in full.

A Seattle hallmark since 2012, the Seattle Great Wheelis a beautiful highlight along the dynamic boardwalk. This recent addition to the city skyline is a fabulous highlight of the waterfront —one you won’t soon forget.

The Washington State Ferriesare as iconic to Seattle as anything else. Though many residents use these ferries for their workday commute, you can enjoy them for recreational purposes. The boats travel to destinations throughout the Seattle area. Make sure to plan ahead to find the most exciting itinerary. If you move to Seattle, farries may become a part of your commute.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market is the city’s most visited attraction, drawing people from around the world. You’ll see the famous fish markets, a wealth of delicious restaurants, and the Gum Wall. Add your own piece of gum to the strange and delightful piece of public artwork.

If you want something a little off the beaten path, head to Melrose Market. It’s Pike Place’s little cousin between Pike Place and Capitol Hill. Melrose Market has fewer tourists, but still offers a delightful combination of restaurants, co*cktail bars, and retailers.

Dining and Entertainment

You’ll never run out of ways to indulge in Seattle. From sky-high fine dining to sourdough clam chowder bowls on the waterfront, a wondrous array of food speckles the shoreline of this great Washington city.

Aside from the diverse restaurant scene, Seattle is known for its gourmet beverages. The Starbucks Roastery and Tasting Roomis your chance to indulge in the most luxurious and rare coffees Starbucks has to offer. Choose between espresso flights, small-batch cold brew and specialty beverages like the Undertow — espresso suspended above chilled half-and-half and vanilla-bean syrup.

Delve into the more nuanced coffee scene of Seattle and curate your own coffee tour of local roasters. Elm Coffee Roasters is a prominent roaster that stands out as one of Seattle’s premier light bean roasters. It is located in Pioneer Square and was founded in 2013. Olympia Coffee Company has two coffee shops in Seattle, one in Colombia City and the other in West Seattle. Olympia Coffee Company has won a number of accolades for its artisan roasts, which are served at their impeccably designed cafes.

Just outside of the city, Woodinville Wine Countryis a growing wine collective, which is open for tasting. Plus, make sure to check out the Pacific Northwest’s growing microbrew beer scene. Seattle is rich with independent breweries – some large, some small, and all with interesting and unique brews to discover. Check out the Fremont and Ballard neighborhoods for a wide selection of craft breweries. Our favorites are Aslan, Hales, Fremont Brewing, Cloudburst and Peddler.

Hidden Seattle Gems

While there are plenty of exciting things to do and places to see around Seattle, there are also several special gems worth finding.

The Seattle Undergroundis one of those lesser-known hidden spectacles. When the city burned down in 1889, the new brick and mortar structure was built atop the rubble. A ghost city still lives underneath the busy streets.

The Ballard Farmers’ Market is a destination for friends, couples, and families. Every Sunday on Ballard Avenue, farmers and purveyors showcase their goods in booths lining one of Seattle’s most charming streets. With local musicians, street food vendors, artists, and artisans, the “Sunday Market” is a sweet activity that will enhance a few hours.

Another fun visit is the Center for Wooden Boats.It offers educational exhibits, fun family boating programs and a Sail for Free Sunday event. Volunteer skippers take passengers out for unforgettable voyages.

For the perfect view of Seattle, head to Queen Anne’s Kerry Park. With views of Elliot Bay, downtown, and the Space Needle, you’re in for a view you will never tire of.

Events & Festivals

Once you’re settled into Seattle, you’ll want to dive right into the city’s exciting art scene. An annual favorite since the early 1970s, the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festivalcelebrates creative pieces in nearly every art form. Experience the performing arts to literary achievements and outstanding music here.

The freshest festival in the city is the Capitol Hill Block Party (CHBP). CHBP is geared toward all ages and celebrates the Capitol Hill community’s art, activism, retailers and eateries. The music lineup that adorns the festival is curated with internationally and nationally recognized musical artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

The Seattle International Film Festivalis a month-long extravaganza and the largest film festival in the United States. Cinephiles won’t want to miss the extensive list of showings and events that recognize classic and contemporary films alike. The showings and premieres occur at all the historic theaters around the city. The tour is a treat in and of itself.

Refractis the newest experience on the block. It looks to bring the Pacific Northwest’s proliferating glass artwork scene to center stage. Blown glass displays, educational glass-making lessons, and glass-focused performances form this unique experience.

If you’re willing to travel a bit outside the city, Sasquatch and Paradiso are fantastic music festivals. It’s located at the Gorge Amphitheater, just a few hours east of Seattle. Make sure to wear your dancing shoes.

Seattle Moving Tips for New Residents

New residents can breathe a sigh of relief. The City of Seattle has done its best to make your transition as seamless as possible. The city’s own Seattle Newcomer’s Guideis your ultimate resource for settling into your new Seattle home.

All of the information you need is organized for your reading pleasure. Everything from acquiring parking permits for your moving truck to contacting local utility companies and deciphering the public transit system – it’s all there. Don’t forget essential steps such as applying for a Washington State driver’s licenseand registering to vote in your new neighborhood.

Seattle’s got you covered on city-specific tasks. You’ll also want to check out our ultimate moving checklistto make sure you properly prepare in the weeks and months before your move.

Ready to Move to Seattle?

Seattle is a great place to call home. But let’s face it – moving can be a pain. If you need extra space or assistance, Life Storage offerscheap self storage in Seattle, along with moving truck rentals.

We know you’re going to enjoy Seattle and all of the awesome experiences you’re bound to have. Good luck!

Updates:

• Originally published on November 8, 2019.
• Revised on May 14, 2020, with new information from Seattle expert, Michael Bjorn Huseby.
• Revised on April 20, 2021, with new information from Seattle expert, Kyla Stelling.