Life in Seattle: 18 Useful Things You Need to Know Before Moving Here

Seattle living through my eyes: cost of living, neighborhoods, culture, food, dating, safety, outdoor activities, and what life in this Pacific Northwest city really feels like for expats, students, and newcomers.

Seattle is like my second home. It was the first US city I ever visited, and I later stayed long-term to study. Along the way, I made friends with locals and people who’d come from across the US and around the world. I’m the type of person who’s quiet but likes observing people, culture, nature, history, and basically everything around me. And behind those concrete walls, Seattle also has its own charm that people often take for granted.

The whole time I was studying at the University of Washington, I never went back home once until my graduation. Seattle was never boring to me. Its natural surroundings, with a high-tech and cosmopolitan landscape (mostly East Asian), kept me company. I also have many fond memories of Seattle that I hold dear.

I’ll admit that Seattle has its flaws, like high housing and food prices, rising crime, and urban decay, but none of these offset the great things this city helped nourish in me during my young adult years.

If you’re an expat planning to move here, an American from another state, or even a Seattle local, you’ll find in this article 18 useful things you need to know about living in this beautiful Pacific Northwest city through my eyes.

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1. The Seattle Vibe: Gloomy Rain and Beautiful Nature

One of the things I like most about Seattle is its stunning natural surroundings, its coolness, and even its sad, gloomy weather, which somehow reflects my own melancholic personality quite well.

If you live in Seattle, you’ll notice that the weather is kind of gloomy for much of the year. Personally, I think Seattle is gloomier than London but less so than Vancouver, BC.

That said, you’ll need plenty of raincoats and umbrellas. However, summer is pretty dry and is my least favorite time of year.

On clear days, you can see Mount Rainier rising in the background, provided that your place can see it from a distance.

To the west of the city are the waters of Puget Sound, with the Olympic Mountains in the distance. The wind can be quite strong when it comes from that direction. To the east, you can see the Cascade Range, which looks absolutely beautiful when covered in snow.

The overall gloomy and tech aesthetics, when combined with the beautiful natural backdrops, give you that greenish-blue charm of a high-tech city surrounded by nature. Think of the game Pacific Drive, which, to me, captures the evergreen and misty vibe of Washington state pretty well.

2. While Seattle is Expensive, It’s Still Manageable

Seattle is expensive. As of 2025, it’s 45 percent more expensive than the rest of the US, and much of your monthly budget will go to things like rent, utilities, internet, phone plans, and food.

Mostly, you’ll need a lot of cash on hand just for the basic stuff like rent and groceries. Rent for a single studio with a bathroom starts at around US$1,500 per month, and groceries cost about US$500 per month.

Although the actual cost of living varies from person to person, in my article on Seattle’s cost of living, I estimated it to be between US$2,500 and US$5,000 per month, with US$3,500 as the minimum.

3. There Are Many Neighborhoods for Everyone

Here’s the fun part. Choosing a neighborhood is a total pain because each one of them feels completely different from one another, and not all of them will suit your lifestyle and vibe, so finding the right neighborhood can take time.

Let’s take a quick look at some neighborhoods that I’ve covered in my article on Seattle neighborhoods:

• Downtown: mostly made up of high-rise buildings, Downtown has shopping centers, offices, and luxurious condos. Renting an apartment or buying a condo here is more expensive than in other areas.
• Capitol Hill: my favorite place, with lots of indie cafes and Asian restaurants.
• South Lake Union (SLU): filled mostly with low-rise upscale buildings, SLU is a popular area for professionals and families alike. It’s an emerging tech hub thanks to the presence of Amazon and Google.
• Beacon Hill: a quiet neighborhood filled with single-family houses. Great for families.
• U-District: has a high concentration of students because it’s close to the UW campus.

There are many other neighborhoods as well, like the affluent Queen Anne and the indie Ballard, so you’ll likely find one that fits your lifestyle perfectly.

Read more: Where to Live in Seattle: The Best Areas and Neighborhoods for Every Lifestyle

4. Housing Prices Are Super High

Housing prices are high regardless of the neighborhood, so it doesn’t matter where you buy a house. As of November 2025, the median price for a single detached home is US$899,000, and it’s likely to rise gradually over time.

5. The Locals: Chill, Polite, and Introverted

Whenever I think about Seattle locals, I think of rock, but alternative and introverted, like Nirvana (Kurt Cobain was from Aberdeen, but he’s strongly associated with the Seattle vibe).

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What I mean by “chill” is the overall laid-back lifestyle. People here tend to dress down and avoid anything too fancy. I rarely see people in brightly colored clothes or flashy cars. I once met a guy in a bright red E-Class, probably an exception, but still a chill guy with a long, messy beard.

This passive-aggressive and introverted behavior is called “Seattle Freeze.” Locals usually keep to themselves but are polite when interacting with you.

It’s part of a broader Nordic culture, which forms an important foundation of Seattle. The introverted nature of the locals, along with the nerdy nature of the advanced tech industry, definitely plays a part in this chill, quiet atmosphere.

When I was studying at UW, friends who were Seattle or Washington state locals tended to be quiet and distant. But since I’m quiet myself, that was fine by me.

6. Groceries Are a Big Part of Your Budget but You Have Choices

Since Seattle is a large city, there are plenty of grocery options you can choose from, which makes it easier to find the best grocery store that fits your lifestyle and budget. From cheap and discounted Grocery Outlet to everyday stores like Safeway and premium options like Whole Foods, Seattle has all of it.

You can find almost every grocery-shopping style in different neighborhoods, and each neighborhood has at least one grocery store. Many of the stores are concentrated in the Downtown and Capitol Hill areas, though.

Most stores have both self-checkouts and regular staffed checkouts.

Tip: Also, most of stores don’t provide you with bags, so if you need one, you’ll probably have to bring one yourself or buy their paper bag, which costs about US$1–2 each (I have never seen them give me plastic bags once).

7. From Delicious Seafood to Asian Cuisine, and “Seattle-Style Teriyaki”

What I also love about Seattle is its strong seafood culture. The city has plenty of locally produced tasty seafood to offer, so it’s something you definitely don’t want to miss here. Also, most seafood restaurants are concentrated in the waterfront area.

My favorite place is the Six Seven Restaurant at the Edgewater Hotel, which serves fusion seafood-Japanese dishes, like the miso glazed salmon and the halibut fish and chips with tempura-style frying.

But if you’re looking for conventional, local seafood without all those fusion twists, The Crab Pot Seattle on Pier 57 and other nearby seafood spots are excellent places to try local dishes like Pacific Northwest salmon, the famous Dungeness crabs, and fresh, juicy oysters.

You can also find plenty of fresh or cooked seafood at Pike Place Market as well, which I’d definitely say is worth a visit.

Also, thanks to Seattle’s cosmopolitan scene, you’ll find plenty of different cuisines worth trying out, though Asian and East African (Ethiopian and Eritrean) foods are especially popular.

My favorite Asian food is Japanese. Given that there’s always been a strong Japanese presence in Seattle since the early 20th century, Japanese food here is pretty impressive, to say the least.

They even have something called “Seattle-style teriyaki chicken,” which shows you how popular Japanese food is here. And I’m not going to lie, I’ve had one of the best teriyakis here in Seattle that’s just as good as anything in Japan. I’m a regular at Yummy Teriyaki. The portions are huge, and their spicy teriyaki sauce? Straight-up fire.

8. Coffee Culture: Where Starbucks Started and the Indie Café Scene Thrives

Coffee is literally a part of the culture here. Seattle is famous for being a center for coffee roasting and all things related to coffee. The locals also love to drink coffee a lot, and there are plenty of coffee shops throughout the city.

When I first came to Seattle, I was surprised by how many Starbucks stores there were, almost one on every corner, just like fish-and-chips spots in the UK.

The coffee culture didn’t just appear because of Starbucks, though. I’ve read anecdotes by some people on Reddit saying that even before the first Starbucks opened in 1971 at Pike Place Market, the locals were already obsessed with coffee, partly because of the cold climate and partly because the Nordic coffee-drinking culture was already strong here. Plus, the strong presence of the Ethiopian community with their own coffee culture has also strengthened Seattle’s already rich coffee culture.

You’ll find many cafés and coffee shops throughout the city, from conventional Starbucks to independent shops with unique vibes, which are concentrated in the Downtown/Capitol Hill and U-District areas.

9. Healthcare Is Advanced, But Expensive

Though Seattle’s healthcare is advanced and seems to be more “developed” than in other parts of the US, it still suffers from complicated pricing and high costs. That’s why you’ll need insurance to help cover your medical costs.

Case study: In my own experience, a health checkup and a doctor visit cost me around US$420. My insurance covered 80% of the total cost, so all I had to pay was US$105. Accordingly, if you’re moving to Seattle, it’s good to find an insurance plan that fits your lifestyle. You can use the Washington Healthplanfinder tool to find one.

As usual, most hospitals are in the Downtown/Capitol Hill areas, with clinics and doctors’ offices scattered throughout the city.

The most prominent hospitals, which I cover in my article about student health insurance in Seattle, are the advanced UW Medical Center – Montlake near the campus, Harborview Medical Center in Capitol Hill, which specializes in ER and burn treatment, and Kaiser Permanente in Capitol Hill, known for its excellent long-term outpatient care.

Related article: Cigna Healthcare Plans for Expats in the US: Should I Get It?

10. The Highly Competitive Tech Industry & Laid-Back Work Culture

Seattle is a well-known tech hub, so there are tons of job openings in this field, but it’s also highly competitive. Many famous tech companies are based in or have offices here in Seattle and around the city, Valve in Bellevue, Google in SLU, Amazon in SLU and Downtown, and Microsoft in Redmond, for example.

If you’re thinking about applying for a job here, make sure you have strong and good connections, which obviously include building and expanding your portfolio, like your LinkedIn profile.

Also, if you’re not a US citizen or permanent resident, you’ll need the company you’re applying to sponsor you for an H1-B visa. I myself got OPT after graduation, so I had no issues when applying for jobs.

The overall work culture is pretty laid-back, I’d say, and that’s largely because of the culture I mentioned earlier. Office workers tend to wear casual clothes, and you don’t see people roaming around Downtown with suits and ties nearly as much as, say, in New York City.

I have a few friends who work in the tech industry in Seattle, and they’re pretty chill and don’t seem to overwork. Still, it depends on the company.

11. Public Transport Is Kinda Okay

Public transport in Seattle is okay, not fancy, just decent enough. They use the ORCA card for payment, so having one is a must. Or you can buy tickets the conventional way or use coins for the bus.

There are many bus routes in the city, which are run by King County Metro. You can use their website to find routes and schedules.

Tip: I like the light rail. It’s quick and convenient, so getting around the city is pretty easy. The 1 Line only runs north to south through the city, and the 2 Line runs from north to south through Bellevue, so don’t expect anything as extensive as the subway systems in Japan. Still, the light rail is the go-to option for most people, since it runs through most of the city’s major areas.

12. A Car Isn’t Essential, Unless You Live in Some Areas

Well, if you live in areas where buses and the light rail go through, there’s no need to worry about having a car. However, if you live in a neighborhood that isn’t as convenient as Tukwila, or in areas further south or further north of the city, then a car is absolutely a necessity.

As we all know, the US infrastructure and geography make people here rely heavily on cars. So, if you’re far from the city center and without all those light rail and bus lines, then you’ll need a car or a ride.

If you own a car, you’ll need to find a parking space for it as well since there aren’t a lot of parking spaces. But if paying for car maintenance isn’t your thing, taking a taxi or an Uber/Lyft (which are more expensive) is the way to get around.

Seattle’s local taxis are cheap and have a good reputation, so don’t jump straight to Uber and pay US$10 just for one mile. The most prominent taxi companies are Farwest Taxi and Seattle Yellow Cab.

Related article: How to Get an International Driver’s License in the USA

13. Utilities Are Easy to Pay

You’ll receive utility bills from two different organizations: water bills from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), electricity from Seattle City Light (SCL), and if you use natural gas, you’ll receive a bill from Puget Sound Energy. Paying your utility bills is simple and straightforward. You can pay them by mail, by check, or online on their websites.

14. Studying in Seattle Left Me with Unforgettable Memories

This can get a little bit subjective (which is the point of this article anyway), but studying in Seattle can shape your life and perspective in ways you might not expect. It’s the city’s laid-back, chill vibe, its natural surroundings, coffee culture, tech scene, and the unique atmosphere of UW as a whole that helped me mature along the way.

I explored things I’d never been interested in before, like some niche topics in Japanese studies, which my university happens to be good at.

I joined a global cultural exchange program that paired me with students from a college in Miyazaki, Japan. I attended annual CulturalFests and got to experience some truly aesthetic cultures from around the world.

A lot of time was also spent with my roommate-turned-close-friend, hanging in boba shops around U-District and even at Amazon Go (for some reason). Honestly, there’s basically something for everyone here to enjoy your youth life to the fullest.

Tip: If you’re planning to become an international student at UW or any other institution in the Seattle area, just be prepared to get nostalgic about the “youthful days” after you graduate, so enjoy it while it lasts. It might take a while before it really hits you, though.

15. The Realities of Crime & Homelessness

Just like any large city in the US, crime and homelessness are big problems here. In general, most crimes are property-related, such as burglary, theft, and shoplifting. Other violent crimes are less common, but according to My Northwest, the total average of violent crime in 2024 was double that of the national average. Overall, Seattle struggles with crime issues.

You’ll need to be careful when you’re in or walking around Downtown, Capitol Hill, SLU, and the U-District, especially at night. In my article about Seattle neighborhoods, I go over crime in these areas and show that the closer you are to the city center, the more likely crime is to happen.

I also think the neighborhoods facing the most severe homelessness issues are Capitol Hill and SLU. In these areas, you’ll find homeless people camping on the sidewalks, parks, and other spaces. These people can be aggressive at times, so don’t wander too close to them whenever you’re outside.

16. Outdoor Activities Are the Definition of Perfection

What I love about Seattle is that it has many great outdoor activities. Because the city is surrounded by nature, these outdoor activities involve the natural environment itself.

Skiing is one of my favorite activities during winter. Though I’m not good at skiing, I still go to ski resorts in winter just for the excitement and for staying at a decent, cozy, warm inn. The thrills, the cold, and the snowy landscape are thrilling.

There are three prominent ski resorts in the state of Washington that you can visit, which are Mt. Baker near the Canadian border, Stevens Pass Nordic Center in the Cascades to the east, and White Pass Ski Area in the southeast.

Besides skiing, hiking is another activity you don’t want to miss. There are many hiking trails throughout the city, its surrounding areas, and across the state of Washington. If you don’t want to travel far from the city, Discovery Park in Magnolia is Seattle’s largest park and a great place for hiking.

Water activities like kayaking, sailing, whale watching, and boat tours are also popular, and there are many spots around Puget Sound where you can enjoy them. Some of these activities can be experienced from architecturally interesting parks, like Gas Works Park, which gives off a steampunk vibe, and the scenic Lake Union Park, where you can rent boats.

All in all, outdoor activities in Seattle can keep you busy, entertained, and engaged throughout the year (except for, like, when it rains). They also provide you with plenty of opportunities to explore the city’s natural surroundings.

17. Dating and Making Friends Are Full of Surprises

Dating and making friends in Seattle are full of surprises because you meet different people from all sorts of cultures from all over the world, so much depends on who you date or befriend. But overall, I personally think people here ghost more often, partly because of the “Seattle Freeze” phenomenon, and partly because of the culture they come from.

You can use dating apps to connect with people and find a date. The most popular apps are Tinder and Bumble. In recent years, Hinge has also been at the forefront of online dating and is pretty popular among Americans in general.

Besides online dating apps, you can meet people to date or make friends at bars, social events, or even clubs where like-minded people meet up. The Elliot Bay book club is where I used to hang around a lot because I love reading.

18. Entertainment and Shopping: From Designer Stores to Indie Theaters

In Downtown, you can find all sorts of designer items, from bags to clothes. The luxury Nordstrom department store chain has its HQ here in Seattle.

I’m not particularly interested in designer items as much. Besides, I can also buy them online. Saks Fifth Ave and Saks Off 5th are great if you’re okay with buying clearance items.

One thing I’ve spent a lot of money on is indie movie theaters and shopping for IT stuff and books. There are literally IT stores everywhere here (well, it’s a tech hub), from Apple Stores to more general retailers like Target and Best Buy.

Sakura-Con and Emerald City Comic Con are held annually. If you’re into anime and anything like that, it’s definitely worth checking out. You need to buy your ticket months in advance, though, as they sell out very quickly. Some resellers will sell them at outrageous, god-knows-what prices.

My favorite movie spots are SIFF Cinema Uptown, which primarily shows classic and arthouse films, and SIFF Cinema Downtown (used to be called “Seattle Cinerama”), an iconic theater equipped with a Cinerama laser projector and a Dolby Atmos sound system. The movie scene in Seattle is one of the best I’ve ever experienced. If you’re a hardcore moviegoer, Seattle is a great place to relax and indulge your passion.

Now, on to You

That’s all my take on living in Seattle. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even though I already graduated from the University of Washington, I still go back to Seattle every time I have a chance. It’s the city that totally shaped my life.

If you are planning to move to the US, check out my in-depth relocation guide here.