Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Seattle

You think about moving to Seattle but want to get additional information about the city before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you all the pros and cons of living in Seattle in the following chapters.

Living in Seattle – Overview

Advantages of Living in Seattle

1. Seattle is located at the coast
2. You can spend lots of time in nature
3. You can go fishing, hiking and do many other things in your leisure
4. Seattle is surrounded by national parks
5. More than enough recreational spaces to relax in Seattle
6. People in Seattle are open and outgoing
7. People are friendly and willing to help you out
8. People in Seattle are tolerant
9. Seattle attracts people from all over the world
10. You can have many interesting conversations with people in Seattle
11. Seattle is a great place to live for every age group
12. You may never have to move again
13. Seattle has low unemployment rates
14. You don’t have to worry getting laid off that much
15. Many big companies to work for in Seattle
16. Income level is above average
17. Seattle is a bike-friendly city
18. Public transport is decent near the city center
19. You may not need a car to get around in Seattle
20. Decent bars to hang out after work
21. Seattle has a decent art scene
22. Many decent museums to choose from in Seattle
23. You can experience many different cultures
24. Many delicious foods to try in Seattle
25. Seattle is an important economic center
26. Population is growing in Seattle
27. Seattle has become increasingly popular over the past decade
28. Seattle has a bright future outlook
29. Seattle has a decent reputation
30. Your friends may envy you for your plans of moving to Seattle
31. Decent schools and colleges in Seattle
32. More than enough things to do in your leisure
33. You will never get bored living in Seattle
34. Easy to socialize in Seattle
35. You can build a strong business network
36. Seattle is not the most crowded city
37. You will find space to spend time on your own
38. Seattle is not as hectic as other major cities
39. Decent shopping opportunities in Seattle
40. Traffic is not a big problem in Seattle yet
41. Reasonably easy to find a parking lot in Seattle
42. Seattle has an international airport
43. You can get most things for daily life within walking distance
44. Good medical infrastructure in Seattle
45. You can experience real seasons in Seattle

Seattle is located at the coast

One advantage of living in Seattle is that the city is directly located at the coast.

This gives you the opportunity to spend lots of time at the beach and to relax from your stressful life just a few minutes away from your home and can help you reload your batteries for the stressful times that may be yet to come.

You can spend lots of time in nature

Not only does Seattle have nice beaches, but you can also spend lots of time in nature in general since the city is surrounded by nice lakes and forests where you can do many nature activities and can really enjoy your leisure.

You can go fishing, hiking and do many other things in your leisure

Since you will find beautiful nature nearby Seattle, you can also go hunting, fishing, hiking, swimming, surfing and spend your leisure on many other exciting hobbies while many other people out there living in other places will not be able to enjoy this luxury.

Seattle is surrounded by national parks

Another reason to move to Seattle is that the city is also surrounded by nice national parks where you can make nice weekend trips with your family and can also teach your kids about how important it is to preserve our environment for the next generations.

More than enough recreational spaces to relax in Seattle

You will not only find many recreational spaces and beautiful nature outside of Seattle, but you will also find many nice parks and other green spaces within city borders and this gives you the opportunity to spend your lunch break in a quiet atmosphere where you can relax and reload your batteries so that you can get back to work in an efficient manner.

People in Seattle are open and outgoing

Another upside to living in Seattle is that people are open and outgoing and will always be eager to talk to you.

In fact, you can start conversations during various occasions of daily life and chances are that you will never run out of conversation partners if you are open and outgoing yourself and are also tolerant enough to listen to other ideas.

People are friendly and willing to help you out

Most people in Seattle are also pretty friendly and your friends will also help you out on various occasions.

This can be pretty important since your social contacts often help you overcome difficult periods of your life where you might need advice on how to solve complex problems.

People in Seattle are tolerant

People in Seattle are also known to be much more tolerant compared to the rest of the US and this is pretty great since you can show your true self and don’t have to adapt to social norms you may not go along with.

In turn, you can just be you and will still find many people to hang out with and to have a great time.

Seattle attracts people from all over the world

Since Seattle is such a tolerant place, it also attracts many people from all over the US and even the world since people are welcome from various backgrounds as long as they are friendly and tolerant themselves and also know how to behave.

You can have many interesting conversations with people in Seattle

Another benefit of living in Seattle is that you can have many interesting conversations with people from all over the world.

By talking to all those different people, you will soon realize that opinions are relative and you will become a more tolerant person and will also grow in character in the long run since you will see that your lifestyle and attitude towards life is just one out of many.

Seattle is a great place to live for every age group

Seattle has many things to offer for various age groups and this gives you the opportunity to hang out with younger and older people and this mix is pretty great since you can benefit from life experience of older people while you can still feel younger again by hanging out with younger people who are still full of energy.

You may never have to move again

Since Seattle is a great place to live for the young and the old, you may move to Seattle at a rather young age and may never have an incentive to leave the region ever again since you may find everything you wish for in every chapter of your life.

Seattle has low unemployment rates

Seattle also has a pretty strong economy and unemployment rates are pretty low compared to other big cities in the US.

Consequently, most people find decent jobs and are pretty happy with their work-life balance as well while people living in NYC often complain in this regard quite a lot.

You don’t have to worry getting laid off that much

Since the job market is pretty robust in Seattle and unemployment rate is pretty low, you also don’t have to worry about getting laid off that much since even in case you may lose your job, chances are that you will find a new job with similar or even better conditions pretty soon.

Many big companies to work for in Seattle

Another upside to moving to Seattle is that you will also find many companies to work for in various industries.

Hence, no matter what your major or specialization is, chances are that you will find a pretty decent job as long as you have decent education and are also willing to work hard.

Income level is above average

People in Seattle can also make pretty good money compared to national average and if you hold a degree in IT or in other fields that are in high demand right now, chances are that you will have almost freedom of choice regarding whom to work for and that you can also make really good money in the long run.

Seattle is a bike-friendly city

Another reason for moving to Seattle is that it is also a pretty bike-friendly city where you can use many bike lanes to get around in a pretty efficient manner.

Thus, you may be even faster by going by bike for short distances than you would be using your car and this can be great for our environment as well as for your finances in the long run.

Public transport is decent near the city center

You can also enjoy pretty decent public transport in and near the city center of Seattle and this gives you the opportunity to get around by bus or train in an efficient manner.

You may not need a car to get around in Seattle

Since public transport is pretty decent and Seattle is also a bike-friendly city, you may not even need a car if you live close enough to the city center but can rather get around by alternative means of transport to save lots of money and to also do good for our environment.

Decent bars to hang out after work

While Seattle doesn’t offer the greatest nightlife, you will still have some decent bars and clubs to hang out after work and this gives you the opportunity to socialize with many people and to make new contacts pretty soon.

Seattle has a decent art scene

While Seattle doesn’t have the same great art scene as you would find by moving to San Francisco, it is still decent and you will find many like-minded artists to hang out and to share your ideas with so that you can become really good at what you are doing in the long run and can also build a network to promote your work.

Many decent museums to choose from in Seattle

Not only does Seattle have a decent art scene, but you will also find many interesting museums and exhibitions in which you can spend your leisure and can also really learn a lot for your own art career.

You can experience many different cultures

Another advantage of moving to Seattle is that you can also experience many different cultures.

Since Seattle attracts people from all over the world, you can just talk to so many people with different cultural backgrounds and can also learn a lot about the world in general.

Many delicious foods to try in Seattle

Due to the cultural diversity of the city, you can also try many different foods from all over the world and Seattle can really be considered a culinary center.

In turn, not only will you be able to try delicious foods, but you can also get many ideas regarding what to cook at home and can expand your culinary horizon in the long run.

Seattle is an important economic center

Seattle is also a pretty important region in terms of economics and the state of Washington will likely do everything to make it a nice place to work and live for many years to come and infrastructure may therefore become even better in the long run.

Population is growing in Seattle

Another sign that Seattle is a great place to live is that population has been growing significantly over the past decade and this trend will likely also continue in the future since the city just has so many nice things to offer for people with various backgrounds and many different age groups.

Seattle has become increasingly popular over the past decade

While Seattle has been a rather secret spot just a few decades ago, it has become increasingly popular over the past decade by people from all over the US and is also well-known all over the world. In turn, many people consider moving to Seattle and the region will likely become even more popular in the future.

Seattle has a bright future outlook

Since Seattle is an important economic region and also attracts many people from different states, it will not lose its importance for many decades to come and you therefore don’t have to worry that too many people may leave the region as would often be the case in smaller towns or villages.

Seattle has a decent reputation

Seattle also has a pretty decent reputation since unemployment rate is relatively low and the city has a lot to offer in general.

In turn, it has become pretty popular and you don’t have to be ashamed to tell your peers about your plans to move to Seattle since many of your loved ones will secretly admire you for your plans.

Your friends may envy you for your plans of moving to Seattle

Since Seattle is such a nice city, many of your friends will also envy you when you tell them about your plans of moving to Seattle and you may therefore be able to greatly increase your social standing.

Decent schools and colleges in Seattle

Another benefit of moving to Seattle is that you will find many decent schools and colleges to choose from.

In turn, you can make sure that your kids get solid education and get a decent start in their lives so that they have good chances to succeed in the long run.

More than enough things to do in your leisure

Since Seattle is such a diverse and interesting city, you will also find more than enough things to do in your leisure.

Not only will you be able to spend lots of time in nature, but you can also just go to the movies, hang out in a bar, watch the sunset, go bowling or do many other things you might love.

You will never get bored living in Seattle

Since there are so many things to do in Seattle, chances are that you will never get bored in this city since there is just always something going on and you can always participate in interesting and exciting events.

Easy to socialize in Seattle

Since people are friendly and outgoing, it is also pretty easy to socialize in Seattle and you can make many new social contacts within a rather short period of time while some of those people will become really good friends in the long run.

You can build a strong business network

Since the Seattle economy is strong and Seattle attracts many highly-qualified people from all over the US and even the world, it is also relatively easy for you to build a strong business network from which you can benefit from for the rest of your life.

Seattle is not the most crowded city

Seattle is also a great place to move to since it is not the most crowded city compared to L.A. or other major cities in the US.

In turn, you will not feel like a fish in a can but will rather have enough space to move.

You will find space to spend time on your own

Living in Seattle can also be great since you will find both many people to socialize and will also have enough room to spend enough time on your own at the same time.

This can be helpful in case you have difficult decisions to make and need time on your own to figure out what to do next.

Seattle is not as hectic as other major cities

While NYC and L.A. are pretty hectic, Seattle is not as busy and you will find enough people to hang out with in a rather relaxed manner while people in other major cities are more career-focused and often don’t take enough time to meet up with their social contacts unless they might be helpful for their career progress.

Decent shopping opportunities in Seattle

You will also find many decent shopping opportunities in Seattle.

While you may not find as many fancy boutiques as people living in Los Angeles, the average person will still be more than happy in this regard and will not miss a thing.

Traffic is not a big problem in Seattle yet

While the city of Seattle becomes increasingly crowded, traffic is still not a big problem in Seattle compared to other big cities and this means that you can get around in a pretty efficient manner while people living in other major cities often get stuck in traffic jams.

Reasonably easy to find a parking lot in Seattle

Since traffic is not a big problem in Seattle yet, it is also relatively easy to find a parking lot in Seattle and you don’t have to spend lots of time and money in this regard unless you live in the city center where things might be different.

Seattle has an international airport

Seattle is also a great place to live in for you in case you are a globetrotter and want to travel the world on a regular basis since it has a big international airport and you can get to many exciting places of our planet without having to deal with annoying layovers.

You can get most things for daily life within walking distance

Since Seattle provides decent infrastructure and also has more than enough shops to choose from, you will find most things of daily life within walking distance and don’t have to search for long until you find what you are looking for.

Good medical infrastructure in Seattle

Seattle also provides decent medical infrastructure and this can be great in case you get sick or need complex injury.

In fact, doctors and hospitals are pretty decent and you will find many experts who can help you out quite a lot in this regard.

You can experience real seasons in Seattle

Since you will have warm summers and relatively cold winters, you are also able to experience real reasons in Seattle while people living in Oakland or other cities on the West Coast often have warm weather all year long and are not able to enjoy the snow that often.

As you can see, Seattle can be a great place to live.

However, it is still not all sunshine and we also have to talk about the drawbacks of moving to Seattle in the following chapter so that you can better decide whether you still want to move to Seattle or rather want to go for a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Seattle

1. Property prices in Seattle are pretty high
2. Renting a home is pretty expensive
3. Housing shortage is a big problem in Seattle
4. It may take you long to find a suitable place to stay
5. Competition in the housing market is fierce
6. You will have to spend a high fraction of your disposable income on housing
7. You have to deal with constant pressure when it comes to housing
8. Living costs in Seattle are relatively high
9. Average person struggles to make a living in Seattle
10. Many people need a second job
11. Many locals may leave the Seattle region sooner or later
12. Seattle becomes increasingly crowded
13. Public infrastructure may not be suitable to accommodate all those new people
14. Homelessness is a serious problem in Seattle
15. Overall level of inequality increases
16. Social cohesion deteriorates slowly but surely
17. Hard to find world-class education in Seattle
18. Seattle doesn’t provide the same great nightlife as NYC or L.A.
19. Seattle has many rainy days
20. You may not like the cold in Seattle
21. Hard to spend lots of time outdoors
22. Air quality in Seattle is relatively poor
23. Seattle is not that popular among tourists
24. Natural disasters may be a problem
25. People are often stressed
26. People have to make good money to afford to live in Seattle
27. Rather poor public transport in the suburbs of Seattle
28. You will not meet that many famous people in Seattle

Property prices in Seattle are pretty high

One problem with living in Seattle is that property prices have increased substantially over the past years and are pretty high compared to other major cities in the US.

Hence, if you plan to buy a home, you would have to spend lots of money paying off your mortgage and this may financially constrain you in the long run.

Renting a home is pretty expensive

Not only property prices are pretty high, but also rents in Seattle have skyrocketed over the past decade and if this trend continues, Seattle may become as expensive as San José or other major cities.

Housing shortage is a big problem in Seattle

Due to high demand for housing and since population is growing at rapid speed, housing shortage has become a serious problem in Seattle and this trend may become even worse in the near future.

It may take you long to find a suitable place to stay

Since demand for housing is huge, it may also take you quite long and you may also have to invest lots of money in realtor services before you find a suitable place to stay in Seattle and this may cost you lots of nerves in the long run.

Competition in the housing market is fierce

In general, competition in the housing market is pretty fierce and you will have to compete with many people having the same plans of moving to Seattle as you do.

In turn, it may take you months to find a nice and affordable place to stay and you may become increasingly desperate over time in case you don’t find something straight away.

You will have to spend a high fraction of your disposable income on housing

Since rents and property prices are that high, people living in Seattle also have to spend a significant fraction of their income on housing and may not have much left to spend on other important things of daily life and may also not be able to save and invest enough money for retirement.

You have to deal with constant pressure when it comes to housing

Since competition for housing is pretty fierce, you will always have to worry about losing your home in case you just want to rent and your landlord wants to increase rents to a level where you will no longer be able to afford to live in your home and may have to move.

Living costs in Seattle are relatively high

Another reason not to move to Seattle is that living costs are higher compared to national average and you will therefore not only have to pay lots of money for housing, but also going out for a drink or going to the movies will be more expensive than in other cities.

Average person struggles to make a living in Seattle

Another downside to living in Seattle is that the average person often struggles to make a living and this trend will become even worse in case property prices increase even further and the average person may become increasingly desperate to cover basic costs of daily life.

Many people need a second job

Many people living in Seattle even need a second job to pay their bills.

This is especially true for people working in low-wage environments but may also become true for the middle class just a few years from now since living in Seattle becomes increasingly expensive and many people may no longer be able to afford it.

Many locals may leave the Seattle region sooner or later

Due to vastly increasing property prices, many locals are also no longer able to afford to live in Seattle and seriously consider leaving the region.

In case, this happens, part of the charm of the city might be lost and Seattle may become less attractive in the future.

Seattle becomes increasingly crowded

Since so many new people want to move to Seattle and population is growing at rapid speed, the city also becomes increasingly crowded and this may take away space and overall quality of life from you in the long run.

Public infrastructure may not be suitable to accommodate all those new people

Another disadvantage of living in Seattle is that public infrastructure may collapse sooner or later in case population is growing even further since the city may just not be used to accommodate that many people and may run into serious trouble in this regard.

Homelessness is a serious problem in Seattle

You should also know that homelessness has become a serious problem in Seattle and due to increasing property prices, this trend may even get worse since an increasing number of people may get evicted from their properties since they may no longer be able to pay rent.

Overall level of inequality increases

Another downside to moving to Seattle is that the overall level of inequality has increased significantly over the past decade and in case this trend continues, people will become increasingly desperate and may no longer be as friendly as they are right now.

Social cohesion deteriorates slowly but surely

Due to the increasing level of inequality, social tensions may also increase in this region sooner or later and this may deteriorate social cohesion and may lower overall quality of life in the long run.

Hard to find world-class education in Seattle

Another disadvantage of moving to Seattle is that while you have decent schools and colleges, you will just not find world-class education and colleges also don’t have the same reputation compared to Harvard, Stanford or other much more prestigious institutions.

Hence, if you want to get world-class education for your kids, you may be better off moving to other places instead.

Seattle doesn’t provide the same great nightlife as NYC or L.A.

While you will find decent bars where you can party until the early morning, you will still not find the same high-quality nightlife in Seattle as people living in Chicago or other major cities in the US and you may get bored with it in the long run.

Seattle has many rainy days

Seattle is also a pretty rainy city and if you are a sun lover, you may just get fed up with overall weather conditions and may just wish to live in a sunnier place.

You may not like the cold in Seattle

Not only will you have to deal with lots of rain, but you will also have relatively cold winters in Seattle and if you are a person who loves the heat, you may not get happy with living in Seattle in the long run.

Hard to spend lots of time outdoors

Due to many rainy days and relatively cold winters, people in Seattle often spend lots of time indoors and don’t spend as much time outdoors as in many other sunnier cities which is pretty sad since the more time you spend outdoors, the higher your chances of staying fit and content with your life in the long run.

Air quality in Seattle is relatively poor

Another problem with moving to Seattle is that air quality is relatively poor and this may not only lower overall quality of life but may also increase your risk of suffering from serious health issues sooner or later.

Seattle is not that popular among tourists

While Seattle is a big city, it is still not as popular among tourists as L.A. or NYC and this means that you will meet fewer tourists and may therefore have a harder time connecting with people from rather exotic countries.

Natural disasters may be a problem

You should also be aware of the fact that you may also get hit by earthquakes, storms or other natural disasters in Seattle sooner or later and you should therefore get proper insurance in this regard to minimize the risk of huge financial downsides.

People are often stressed

Since living costs are pretty high, people are often in a rush and stressed in Seattle since they have to make enough money to pay their bills while people living in cheaper regions will not have to worry in this regard that much.

People have to make good money to afford to live in Seattle

In general, people living in Seattle have to make pretty decent money to make a decent living and many of them therefore have to work long hours and are not able to spend enough time with their families.

Rather poor public transport in the suburbs of Seattle

While public transport is pretty decent near the city center, it is also pretty poor in the outskirts of Seattle and you may therefore need a car to get around if you don’t live close enough to the center.

You will not meet that many famous people in Seattle

Since Seattle is not the most popular city, it is also pretty hard to meet celebrities and other influential people and if your goal is to hang out with those people, you will be better off moving to a more prestigious city instead.

Top 10 Moving To Seattle Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Move To Seattle?

While Seattle offers the comfort of a big city and also provides you with decent medical infrastructure, rents and property prices are also pretty high and the average person often struggles to make a decent living in Seattle.

Hence, it is on you to evaluate all the advantages and disadvantages of living in Seattle carefully so that you can avoid common mistakes and make the best possible decision in this regard.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you don’t want to move to Seattle anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in San Diego

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Charlotte

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Jacksonville

Sources

https://www.seattle.gov/

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/seattlecitywashington

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.