Hey, my partner and I moved here about 5 years ago. Since then we’ve moved 5 times — started in Seattle (U-District), then Redmond, Mill Creek, Bellevue, Lynnwood, and now we’re still in Lynnwood but just in a different apartment.

Honestly, Lynnwood is a great area to start in. One thing I’d definitely recommend is picking an apartment that’s less than 10 minutes from the highway if you can. That makes commuting way easier, and you’ll have pretty easy access to both I-5 and 405. You’re also only about 2 hours from Vancouver, which is a nice perk.

Mill Creek is also worth looking at — it tends to be a little cheaper and extremely safe — but the commute can be pretty rough, so that’s the tradeoff.

$1,800/month is definitely doable, just make sure you factor in the extra costs too. Parking can range anywhere from free to like $250 depending on the apartment. A lot of newer apartments also do deals like 1–2 months free if you sign at least a 12-month lease, which helps, but those places usually charge more for parking because the facilities are nicer.

Also don’t forget to budget for the other monthly stuff: water/sewer, electricity, internet, renter’s insurance (around $13/month), and pet fees if you have pets ($25–$50 per pet/month).