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  7 0 You should consult a cost of living calculator to compare Seattle to your current City. It's all relative. If you're moving from Manhattan, you'll probably be able to adapt just fine. If you're coming here from Wichita, you're going to be in for a shock. Here's a good cost of living calculator: http://www.bestplaces.net/col/ As for utilities, Seattle has some of the cheapest electricity in the United States. The City owns a municipal cooperative (Seattle City Light) that supplies power to the city from publicly owned hydroelectric dams. As for "Gas" I'm not sure if you mean natural gas for the home or gasoline for the car. Natural gas, I think we're pretty average. Rates are set by a State Utilities Commission. As for gasoline, we're consistently one of the more expensive cities in the US for gasoline, usually only San Francisco and Honolulu are higher. Groceries, it depends on what you're accustomed to eating. If you're willing to spend for it, Seattle offers some of the best local and organic produce and seafood you can find anywhere. If you're more into bargain shopping, stores like Fred Meyer and Costco can help you keep the grocery bill down to earth. Grocery costs in general are comparable to other medium size American cities. Housing is expensive in Seattle, you should prepare yourself for that. If you're willing to commute, there are still bargains to be had in outlying communities like Renton, Kent, Snohomish and Everett. But be prepared for the fact that keeping a roof over your head will probably cost more than you'd expect, again, unless you're moving from New York City or San Francisco. It's all relative. I'm no expert, but my gut tells me you'll be ok on 65k a year with 4 kids. It will be a little lean, but you'll get by. Avoid things like buying a new car or taking expensive vacations, and you should make it just fine. Welcome to the Emerald City. soundslikepuget answered in Personal Finance 7 months ago | Report 2 comments by jvaldes and FormerRebelTurnedParentalUnit… 0 0 Thank you for your advice. jvaldes commented 7 months ago | Report 0 0 All due respect to SoundsLikePuget, but I might actually go with the opposite on the first thought about Wichita Vs New York. It's relative but also relative to the salary you Used to make. See, if you're from a big urban metropolis, you're likely used to more services and will find 65K hard to adapt to (you won't live as nicely here, depending on what you made), whereas someone from a low-cost of living place may find that 65K is quite a sorta nice 'middle class' salary even in seattle's high cost of living bracket. I'll also add as a parent in a family of many that the cost of kids stuff is much like housing here: overinflated high prices and questionable value. FormerRebelTurnedParentalUnit commented 7 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 0 You SHOULD do fine,especially with the young ones. just be wise to clothing /prices !!And,of course , watch for specials at your favorite eatery !!! I raised 1 son on 30k a year....House mortgage and all........Bobby Gee,Bellevue Bobby Gee answered in Personal Finance 7 months ago | Report 1 comment by jvaldes… 0 0 Wow.... thanks jvaldes commented 7 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 We pay a flat rate for utilities in our rental unit; when calculating to see if we were going to be ripped off or not we found that: With a flat rate of $75 per person per month we found that we would over pay in the summer but under pay in the winter. Our flat rate includes Seattle City Light (electric bill), Seattle Public Utilities (water/garbage/yardwaste/recycle) Puget Sound Energy (natural gas bill). This is just a generalization of 4 twenty-somethings living together. Our house has a full sized garbage bin and a full sized yardwaste bin (multi dwelling property with 9 people total). You guys could get the half sized ones to save money. You can throw a lot of your kitchen food waste into the yardwaste bin for municipal composting including raw meat and greasy pizza boxes. If I remember correctly from back when the utilities were in our own names, our every two month electricity bill was only like $60-70. Have you looked at apartment prices? Might as well try to rent a house. During the summer you'll love your yard. internet_jen answered in Personal Finance 7 months ago | Report 1 comment by jvaldes… 0 0 Electricity at my town is very expensive. Monthly I pay around $120.00 plus natural gas... I will look for an apartment with only electricity. jvaldes commented 7 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 3 The biggest drain by far would be housing. My estimate is that 65K for a family of four that doesn't own their house would be almost like living in poverty. Add in the high taxes and fees and it gets worse. John Bailo answered in Personal Finance 7 months ago | Report 4 comments by jvaldes, John Bailo, and Bauhaus… 0 0 Thank you for your answer. But could you also give more info about the public utilities. jvaldes commented 7 months ago | Report 0 0 Electricity is extremely low because of hydropower. No where near the costs paid by people on the East Coast. I don't know about gas, but because electricity is so cheap, many homes use it for heat and cooking. And the bill can still be very low! I live in a suburb 20 miles south of Seattle...the town of Kent, WA. For my two bedroom apartment, I pay as low as $30 in summer, and never much more than $60 in the coldest months...and that includes all my heating costs and major appliances. Most summers air conditioning is not needed and most residences don't have it. Water is no problem either, as there is an abundant supply most years from the mountains. With a two bedroom apartment, I pay around $40 to $50 for combined water, sewer and trash. John Bailo commented 7 months ago | Report 5 0 But that is key....apartments in Seattle make residents pay for their own water, sewer, and trash. Unheard of almost everywhere else. That started around 2001. They want $50-$100 just to apply. They say it's for a "credit check." And, of course, if you are turned down (and you won't be if your credit is spotless), you are SOL. In the 90s, it was an extra $100-$200/mo. to park at your own home. In the 80s, you had to buy extra storage space. Now, they're doing things like pet rent. Seattle is not a renter-friendly town. Landlords and apartment owners get away with murder...because they can. Be aware. Depending on where you are coming from, a trip to the grocery store might be a real eye-opener. Many items are 20-50% more in Seattle than they are elsewhere in the country. Trucking, maybe? I don't know. I remember when I moved to Seattle in the mid-80s, the dog food that I used to buy was about $4 in the South. It was more than $7 here. Just a regular old brand, too. My relatives are always wowed by prices here when they come to visit. Sorry to sound so negative. As for housing, there are cheaper parts of town that require almost always a car because they don't get great bus service. But if you have a car, you'll have cheaper options. But that's just what Seattle needs, right? Another car. Bauhaus commented 7 months ago | Report 0 0 Bauhaus is right about some goods being way more here. And yes, I think its because this is a fairly isolated part of the country. Unless it's coming on a ship from Asia, it either has to be trucked in up from California on I-5 or across one of the three railways or I-90 from the Eastern factories back past Chicago. In the Western part of the state, there are very few consumer goods produced locally. John Bailo commented 7 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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