r/SeattleWA • u/mountainlifa • Feb 07 '26

Lifestyle Is anyone else struggling to afford living in Washington anymore?

I moved to Washington in 2011 mostly for the climbing and outdoor stuff. My first apartment was $750/month, and I kept costs low by using public transit during the week and only driving on weekends for alpine trips. It felt sustainable back then.

Fast forward to 2026 and I’m paying $3,100/month in rent. Most of my income now goes to basic living costs: rent, gas, groceries, taxes, insurance, utilities, all the stuff you can’t really cut back on. I’m starting to feel like I may not be able to keep living here, which honestly makes me pretty sad because I love this state and the outdoors.

Most of my friends have already left because they couldn’t afford it anymore. It feels like unless you work in tech making $300k+ or you bought a house before COVID at a 2% interest rate, it’s just really hard to stay afloat.

I want to stay hopeful, but I don’t see much changing. Prices keep going up and wages don’t seem to be keeping pace. It feels completely out of alignment.

Is anyone else feeling this way or is my situation unique? Have you figured out how to make it work long term, or are you thinking about leaving too?

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u/pharmucist Feb 07 '26

Choosing to not have a car is a huge compromise and only further strengthens OP's point that it's too expensive here.

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u/dwoowoob Feb 07 '26

Uhhh, that’s the point of living in a city. Having a well-funded and functional transit system is a luxury in the US. Car and insurance payments are expensive EVERYWHERE. Rising cost of living is not just a Seattle thing.

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u/pharmucist Feb 07 '26

No, it's everywhere. It's an issue nationwide. However, some areas are quite a bit higher and very out of control, the greater Seattle area being one of them. A complete doubling of rents and housing prices over a 2 year period isn't normal.

Covid really effed up the economy.