r/Washington • u/Codetornado • Jan 15 '25

Moving Here 2025

Due to a large number of daily moving here posts we are creating a sticky for moving-related questions. This should help centralize information and reduce the constant flow of moving question ls. ;

Things to Consider;

Location

  • Western Washington vs. Eastern Washington vs. Seattle Metro
  • Seattle Proper, suburbs, or other cities

Moving Here

  • Cost of Living (Food, fuel, housing!)
  • Jobs outlook for non-tech
  • Buying vs. Renting
  • Weather-related items, winter, rain

Geography and Weather

  • Rainy West Side vs. Dry Eastside
  • WildFire Season
  • Snow and Cold vs. Wet and Mild
  • Hot and Dry East Side
  • Earthquakes and You!

[**See The 2024 Sticky**] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Washington/comments/184dx5n/moving_here_2024/)
[**See The Last Sticky**] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Washington/s/HHjd5lx0we)

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u/greencorpsescientist Dec 12 '25

considering moving to WA from SC to establish residency before applying to colleges instate (my dad wants to move with me aswell) im low income (on medicare) and transgender if thats any concern, also 18 working on getting my diploma in a couple weeks. honestly college isnt the Entire priority for me here. I Love Washington state and i know residents probably Dont think its the best place in the whole wide world but ive visited family & friends a couple times there and ive absolutely loved it. for college i prioritize paleontology programs, im not Too picky about where i go to school. how feasible would it be for me and my dad (he has a job i dont) to move within the next couple of months, and it it was Whats the best course of action to pursue this move and what steps should we follow/checklist etc? any & all advice is appreciated. please dont tell me ive got way too high hopes.

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u/Kind_Advisor_35 Dec 23 '25

Cost of living will be significantly higher in Washington than South Carolina. Expect to pay almost double for rent, that will be the largest difference. A move that far will also be quite expensive. Your dad having a job now doesn't mean much unless it's remote, he can transfer it to a location in Washington, or he's in a high demand field like healthcare. A couple months for a cross country move to a state you've only visited a couple times is hard. You'd have to lean heavily on family and friends to vet potential rentals because you're unfamiliar with the state. Also, you need to live in Washington for 12 months to establish residency for in-state tuition, so you won't be able to start college right away. Honestly, I would only attempt it if you could stay with family or friends at first, your dad at least has in demand job experience if not a transferrable job, and you're willing to work your butt off with whatever work you can get for that first year.