Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Seattle

You think about retiring in Seattle but want to get additional information on senior life, living costs, housing situation, safety, entertainment options, public infrastructure and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Seattle in the following chapters.

Table of Contents

Retire in Seattle – Overview

Living CostsLiving costs in Seattle are above national average, even though they are still lower than in the Bay Area or in L.A.
HousingMany retirees in Seattle have a hard time finding an affordable place to stay since rents are really high.
ClimateSeattle has a sub-oceanic climate with sunny summers and relatively mild winters.
CrimeCrime rates in Seattle are significantly above national average.
Opportunities to SocializeYou will find many senior centers, bars and other locations where you can socialize with other pensioners in Seattle.
EntertainmentYou can visit museums, watch movies, play parlor games, go to the opera or just spend lots of time in nature in the Seattle region.
Public TransportSeattle has an excellent public transport system and pensioners in Seattle can get around without even having to use a car in an efficient manner.
Walkability & BicyclingSeattle is a bicycle-friendly city and distances near the city center are also pretty short so you will find most things you need as a retiree within walking distance.
Medical InfrastructureGood doctors and medical facilities in the Seattle region.
Supply of Material GoodsYou never have to worry about running out of material goods in the city of Seattle since public infrastructure is pretty sophisticated.
advantages and disadvantages of retiring in seattle

Reasons to Retire in Seattle

  1. Nice summers in Seattle
  2. Mild winters are attractive to many retirees in Seattle
  3. Seattle is surrounded by beautiful nature
  4. Seattle is located at the coast
  5. Retirees in Seattle can spend lots of time outdoors
  6. Decent senior centers in Seattle
  7. You have many great bars to socialize
  8. Lots of entertainment for pensioners in Seattle
  9. People in Seattle are tolerant and friendly
  10. Easy to socialize in Seattle
  11. Seattle has excellent public transport
  12. Seattle is a bicycle-friendly city
  13. You may not even need a car to get around as a retiree in Seattle
  14. Good medical infrastructure in Seattle
  15. Seattle is a pretty relaxed city
  16. Many recreational spaces in Seattle
  17. It is easy to get to Seattle
  18. Decent internet connection helps you stay connected to the world
  19. Many good restaurants in Seattle
  20. Many people will envy you for retiring in Seattle
  21. Retiring in Seattle will be popular for many decades
  22. Seattle is a pretty tenant-friendly city
  23. Decent air quality in Seattle

Nice summers in Seattle

One advantage of retiring in Seattle is that you will have pretty nice summers with lots of sun and can really enjoy your time as a retiree while this might be harder for you when living in Milwaukee or other rainier places.

Mild winters are attractive to many retirees in Seattle

Not only will you have great summers but winters are also relatively mild in the Seattle region and many people retiring in Chicago and other colder places may secretly wish changing places with you in this regard.

Seattle is surrounded by beautiful nature

You will also find many national parks and nature reserves close to Seattle and this gives you the opportunity to spend lots of time outdoors as a retiree in Seattle.

In turn, you can not only stay fit but this can also greatly improve your overall quality of life since you can get lots of fresh air.

Seattle is located at the coast

If you don’t like spending time in forests or lakes, you will still have the beach where you can spend many nice hours as a pensioner in Seattle and the beach is also free which can be great for retirees who don’t receive a decent pension and can’t afford many expensive activities.

Retirees in Seattle can spend lots of time outdoors

Thanks to great weather and the many things you can do in the Seattle region, people who retire in Seattle can also spend lots of time outdoors and in general and this will get you in a much better mood compared to people retiring in regions where they will not have great nature and will rather sit at home in front of a TV all day long.

Decent senior centers in Seattle

You also have many senior centers in Seattle where you can hang out and meet up with other retirees so you can share tips and tricks on how to improve senior life in Seattle and also how to save lots of money in the long run.

You have many great bars to socialize

You will also find many nice bars where you can meet up with other like-minded people and can discuss what’s going on in the world right now so you can stay up-to-date with latest news and can also get additional opinions on other topics so you can expand your horizon and will most likely also become a more tolerant person in the long run.

Lots of entertainment for pensioners in Seattle

Another upside to retiring in Seattle is that you will also get lots of entertainment.

In fact, apart from spending lots of time outdoors, you can go to the opera, visit many nice museums, go to the movies and do many other things you may be used to from other metropolitan regions and chances are that you will never get bored in this regard.

People in Seattle are tolerant and friendly

Since people in Seattle are tolerant and friendly, you can also have a great time in this region and can make many new friends within a rather short period of time so you will likely not get socially isolated as a retiree in Seattle anytime soon.

Easy to socialize in Seattle

In general, since people are outgoing and open to new things, you can socialize with people in Seattle on various occasions of daily life and this helps you connect to locals and also makes sure that you will always have people to hang out with.

Seattle has excellent public transport

Another benefit of retiring in Seattle is that the city has decent public transport and you can therefore get around by bus or other means of public transport in a pretty efficient manner.

Seattle is a bicycle-friendly city

Not only will you have decent public transport in the Seattle region, but Seattle is also a great city for cyclists and this is great news for you as a pensioner since you can just get around by bicycle for short distances so you can save lots of money, can do good for the environment and can also stay fit at the same time.

You may not even need a car to get around as a retiree in Seattle

Since you will have great public transport options and are also able to get around by bicycle, you may not even need a car to get around in Seattle and this is good news for you as a retiree since you may no longer be able to drive a car in a safe manner once you get older and may greatly appreciate the option to get around by alternative means of transport.

Good medical infrastructure in Seattle

There are also good doctors and hospitals in the Seattle region and in case you suffer from a serious health condition, you can be sure to find the best medical treatment, at least if you have the money to afford those kinds of treatments that are often pretty costly.

Seattle is a pretty relaxed city

You should also know that Seattle is a pretty relaxed city and compared to people retiring in New York City or other busier places, you will have a much easier time finding spaces where you can hang out in a quiet manner.

Many recreational spaces in Seattle

There are also many parks and other green spaces where you can just sit down on a bench and can really enjoy your life as a retiree in Seattle.

It is easy to get to Seattle

Since Seattle has a big international airport, it is also pretty easy to get from and to Seattle and this is great news since your loved ones can visit you rather easily and you will have company quite often while this might be harder in smaller towns that are harder to reach by plane.

Decent internet connection helps you stay connected to the world

If you retire in Seattle, you will also have a pretty good internet connection and this is important to stay up-to-date with the latest news and also to make video calls with your loved ones and to stay connected to the world in general.

Many good restaurants in Seattle

Retiring in Seattle can also be great since you will have many nice restaurants where you can try delicious foods and if you have enough money, you can have many really great culinary experiences in this region.

Many people will envy you for retiring in Seattle

Since Seattle is a pretty attractive city, many of your loved ones will secretly envy and admire you for your plans in Seattle and you can also be a role model for them and can give your family and friends useful advice on how to retire in Seattle in a proper manner once you made it.

Retiring in Seattle will be popular for many decades

Since Seattle is the biggest city in Washington, it will also be a pretty important place to work, live and retire for many decades and you therefore don’t have to worry about public infrastructure becoming worse anytime soon since lots of money will be invested to keep the city attractive in the long run.

Seattle is a pretty tenant-friendly city

Seattle is also a pretty tenant-friendly place and this can be great for people who are not able to afford buying a home in the Seattle region since you will have more rights compared to people retiring in Dallas or other more landlord-friendly regions.

Decent air quality in Seattle

Seattle also has pretty decent air quality compared to most other big cities out there and in case you already suffer from serious pulmonary problems, chances are that retiring in Seattle can be great for you since you can reduce the risk of your health problems becoming worse.

Now that you know the reasons for retiring in Seattle, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in Seattle so you can better decide whether you still want to retire in Seattle or rather want to spend the last chapter of your life in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Seattle

  1. Rents are barely affordable for the average retiree in Seattle
  2. People who retire in Seattle often complain about high living costs
  3. High overall financial pressure for pensioners in Seattle
  4. You may not be able to afford many nice things in Seattle
  5. You may get socially isolated due to your financial situation
  6. Hard to find a decent place to stay in Seattle
  7. Public infrastructure gets worse outside the city center
  8. Increasing social inequality in Seattle
  9. Crime rate in Seattle is above national average
  10. Natural disasters may destroy your home in Seattle
  11. Some neighborhoods in Seattle are pretty dodgy
  12. Seattle becomes increasingly crowded

Rents are barely affordable for the average retiree in Seattle

One problem with retiring in Seattle is that rents are pretty high and most retirees in Seattle really struggle to pay those rents in a reliable manner and therefore always have to worry about getting evicted sooner or later.

People who retire in Seattle often complain about high living costs

Not only rents are pretty high, but also overall living costs in Seattle are higher than in most other regions and you will therefore have to spend lots of money on leisure activities, drinks and many other nice things of daily life.

High overall financial pressure for pensioners in Seattle

Since living and housing costs are so high, people retiring in Seattle have to deal with higher financial pressure compared to people retiring in Jacksonville or other cheaper regions and this may lead to all sorts of mental health problems in the long run.

You may not be able to afford many nice things in Seattle

Since everything is so expensive, you may just not be able to afford many nice things as a retiree in the Seattle region and may envy your friends who may retire in other cheaper regions in this regard.

You may get socially isolated due to your financial situation

If you don’t receive a pretty high pension, you will also not be able to afford many nice things and activities and while people having more money will make many nice trips, you may not be able to afford those things and may therefore get socially isolated due to your financial situation.

Hard to find a decent place to stay in Seattle

Since housing shortage is a big problem, many retirees in Seattle also have a pretty hard time finding a decent place to stay within a reasonable amount of time and often have to search for many months in this regard.

Public infrastructure gets worse outside the city center

Another downside to retiring in Seattle is that public infrastructure gets worse outside the city center and if you can’t afford to live close to the center, you may have a harder time finding things you need within walking distance and your life may become more complicated.

Increasing social inequality in Seattle

You should also know that while there are many rich people in the Seattle region, poverty is still a big problem for many retirees in Seattle and if you belong to the group of people who don’t receive a good pension, chances are that you will really struggle with your finances and may get into serious financial problems in case rents and living costs increase even further.

Crime rate in Seattle is above national average

You should also know that crime rates in Seattle are above national average and if you are a careful person, you may rather want to move to Virginia Beach or other safer places instead.

Natural disasters may destroy your home in Seattle

You should also know that earthquakes or other natural disasters may destroy your home in the Seattle region sooner or later and this would be pretty bad, especially for you as a retiree since you would often not have the time and the money to rebuild what gets destroyed and may even lose your life if you are unlucky.

Some neighborhoods in Seattle are pretty dodgy

If you don’t receive a high pension, you may also have to live in one of the dodgy neighborhoods in Seattle and may just not feel welcome and safe which would greatly lower your overall quality of life.

Seattle becomes increasingly crowded

Since Seattle has become increasingly popular by people from all over the US, the city also becomes increasingly crowded and you may just not like retiring in such a crowded city where traffic and social issues become worse every day.

Top 10 Retiring in Seattle Pros & Cons – Summary List

Retire in Seattle ProsRetire in Seattle Cons
Retirees in Seattle can enjoy the beachHigh living costs in Seattle
Lots of beautiful nature around SeattleMany retirees in Seattle are no longer able to pay rent
Great summers in SeattleHard to find a decent place to stay for many pensioners
Seattle has decent public transportSeattle becomes increasingly crowded
Pensioners in Seattle can get around by bicycleMany locals consider leaving Seattle
You may not need a car as a retiree in SeattleCrime is a big problem in Seattle
Good medical infrastructure in SeattleIncreasing level of inequality in Seattle
Decent senior centers in SeattleRetirees in Seattle often have to live in rather dodgy districts
Easy to socialize as a retiree in SeattlePublic infrastructure gets worse outside the city center
Seattle will be an attractive place to retire for many yearsYou may need a pretty high pension to afford nice things

Is Seattle A Good Place To Retire?

While retiring in Seattle can be great since you can enjoy great summers, decent medical infrastructure and excellent public transport, you should still know that crime is a big problem in Seattle and housing and living costs are pretty high so that many retirees in Seattle really struggle to afford to live in this place in the long run.

Alternative Cities To Retire

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

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Charlotte

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Indianapolis

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Houston

Sources

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

Own research.

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 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.

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