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Washington State Movers: How to Find the Best One?
Ready to start an adventure on the Evergreen State? If yes, then you’re probably aware that the first step will be to scout among Washington State movers to find the right fit for you. With so much choice, it’s normal if you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of moving companies in Washington State available. Because we know this, we advise that you follow this short guide to help you make a decision!
Reviews: Moving Companies in Washington State
Moving definitely equals to a large monetary investment. And, because of this, we understand if sticking to your budget is your number one priority. Despite this, we still believe it’s important that you look a bit beyond costs and also evaluate the quality of the services offered by Washington State moving companies. One of the easiest way to evaluate this is by looking at customer reviews online (Tip!: Did you know you can find tons of customer reviews for hundreds of moving companies in our site? Check them out!).
It’s no secret that positive customer reviews are the best indicators of not only that a moving company is trustworthy, but that it also offers high-quality services. But do take them with a grain of salt! Really take your time to seek out reviews across different platforms and compare what multiple customers have to say. Keep in mind that, while customer reviews are a great source of information, extremely positive and/or negative reviews can sometimes be misleading.
Why Choose Washington State Movers?
We often encourage people to use local moving companies when carrying out a move, mainly because they’re likely to have a better understanding of the area compared to out-of-state movers. A Washington State mover will be aware of any challenges that might be unique to Washington and thus, will know to prepare accordingly.
Hiring Washington State Movers: How Expensive Is It?
Given that there are no fixed prices for moves to or within Washington State, we recommend that you check out our long-distance moving costs and local moving costs pages so you can get an idea of what to expect. When you request quotes from moving companies in Washington State keep in mind the following:
- Distance: Longer distances imply larger costs.
- Volume of your move: Moves of large volume can cost a pretty penny. We recommend that you calculate the size of your move and try to declutter as much as possible.
- Date of your move: Moving during the weekends and/or during summer is usually more expensive compared to the rest of the year.
- Type of transport: The type of transport you decide to use (air, land, sea) to make your move represents an important part of your final costs.
- Complexity: If your move is very complex (e.g.: you need a large number of movers, extra services, etc.), it will be more expensive.
- Additional services: (Dis)assembly services, insurance, etc., can all rack up your bill pretty quickly.
Moving to Washington State: Everything You Need to Know
How Much Does It Cost?
Money, money, money… We know that this is probably the part you might be avoiding thinking about, but one of the most important things to consider when evaluating a move to Washington State is how much such will cost. Generally speaking, your moving costs will vary depending on the size of your move and on the distance between points A and B.
We understand this might all sound a bit vague unless you’ve moved around a few times already. So, to illustrate this better, we put together a list of estimates for a full-service move to Seattle (WA) from different cities across the United States below.
| Departure | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom | 3-bedroom |
| Austin, TX | $4,154 – $5,840 | $5,840 – $7,513 | $9,058 – $12,273 |
| San Francisco, CA | $3,263 – $4,519 | $4,519 – $5,794 | $6,986 – $9,458 |
| Atlanta, GA | $4,474 – $6,316 | $6,316 – $8,133 | $9,806 – $13,290 |
| Portland, OR | $2,691 – $3,671 | $3,671 – $4,689 | $5,653 – $7,645 |
| Denver, CO | $3,612 – $5,037 | $5,037 – $6,468 | $7,798 – $10,561 |
Disclaimer: the rates shown above are just estimates. Costs will vary depending on your actual point of departure and the service rates of the company.
Moving to Washington State Checklist
Are you a fan of putting your memory up to the test? If the answer is yes, then a move to Washington State will definitely serve as the ultimate challenge. As you might imagine, there are a million and one things one needs to remember during a move and, even though we trust your memory, we want to give you an extra hand just in case you might need it. We recommend that you take note of the following:
- Never, and I repeat —never, forget to declutter your belongings. Remember that the size of your move has a huge impact on your final moving costs!;
- After decluttering, proceed to calculate the size of your move. This will help you get more accurate estimates when requesting quotes;
- Before moving, research different cities and neighborhoods within them thoroughly. If possible, give them a visit to get a feel of the place you’re considering calling home;
- Remember to gather all important documents (e.g.: birth certificates, passports) and keep them in a special folder;
- Don’t forget to notify others (e.g.: governmental agencies) about your move to Washington State on time;
- Start packing early –little by little. Make sure to label boxes as you go, it will make your life easier –trust us on that one.
If you’re interested in a more detailed checklist, we got your back! Check out our national moving checklist, it covers every little detail you might need to remember.
Relocating to Washington State for Work
It’s great if you’re moving to Washington State with a job secured already, but in case you’re not, we are pleased to inform you that finding a position in this state won’t be as hard as you think! In fact, Washington State (particularly Seattle) has one of the best job markets in the country.
Home to giant corporations such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Boeing (aerospace!) the state of Washington has become an attractive option to those seeking big corporate jobs in the tech industry. In the case of tech, life isn’t for ya’, don’t worry! There are plenty of jobs in other popular industries in the state, such as:
- Food and agriculture;
- Construction;
- Forestry;
- Life science & Global health;
- Trade;
- Maritime;
- Tourism.
As expected, your average yearly income will depend on the career you pursue. However, you can expect an average yearly salary of around $74,000 (according to Payscale). When scouting for a job, we recommend that you check out the following job-seeking platforms:
- Indeed Washington State;
- Glassdoor;
- LinkedIn;
- SimplyHired.
Becoming a Washington State Resident
Becoming a true Washingtonian (yes, this is how Washington residents are called… quite a mouthful) is quite a simple process. All you have to do is prove that you intend to live in Washington for more than just a few months. To do such you can, for example:
- Register to vote in the state;
- Obtain a Washington State driver’s license;
- Purchase a property;
- Maintain residency for at least 12 months (particularly important for those interested in becoming a resident student).
For more details, we recommend that you check out the following information provided by the government of the state of Washington.
Costs of Living in Washington State
We can imagine that you’re more than ready to hop on a plane and start a new life in the Evergreen State, and we totally get why. But, before you do, it’s important that you evaluate the living costs in the state of Washington so you can prepare accordingly.
To give you an idea, compared to the national average (standard of 100), Washington State currently scores 118.7 on the cost of living index. You might be wondering what this number even means, so to help you out we’ve broken down the costs of living into the most common categories in the sections below.
Housing
Moving comes along with the famous “to rent or buy” question. When it comes to renting, the average rent in the state of Washington currently stands at $1,995 a month. In terms of property costs, the median home value in the state is around $428,000. Of course, these costs will very much vary depending on the city (and neighborhood) you decide to settle in!
To give you a rough idea of what you can expect, the table below summarizes both the average rent and median home values for different cities across the state.
| City | Average Monthly Rent | Median Home Value |
| Seattle | $2,061 | $670,300 |
| Bellevue | $2,334 | $819,700 |
| Renton | $1,792 | $436,700 |
| Vancouver | $1,337 | $281,200 |
| Kent | $1,546 | $360,400 |
| Bellingham | $1,235 | $359,500 |
Disclaimer: The prices shown above are just estimates. These prices will vary depending on the property size and the neighborhood of your choice.
Food and Groceries
In our opinion (which might be just a bit biased as we are total foodies), one of the most exciting parts about moving is having the opportunity to explore the state/city’s food scene. Whether you do this by treating yourself to a meal out or by including the state’s fresh coastal seafood into a homemade meal, it’s important that you’re aware of the average cost of food and groceries so you can budget accordingly.
| Food & Groceries | Average Cost |
| 1 gallon of milk | $3.72 |
| 1 lb. of beef round | $6.47 |
| 1 lb. of potatoes | $1.04 |
| Bottle of wine | $15 |
| 1 lb. of chicken filet | $4.84 |
| 1 lb. of bananas | $0.81 |
| 1 lb. of salmon | $10.99 |
| Loaf of fresh bread | $3.34 |
| Carton of 12 eggs | $2.89 |
| 1 lb. of rice | $2.14 |
| Cappuccino | $4.67 |
| Three-course dinner for two | $80 |
| Lunch menu | $16 |
Taxes
Now moving on to everyone’s favorite topic, taxes. To start off, we have some good news. The state of Washington is one of the few states in the country with no income tax –yay! There are, however, a few other taxes you might be subjected to when you move to Washington State, such include:
- State sales tax of 6.5%;
- Property tax of 1.03%.
Transportation
Overall, the state of Washington is well equipped with diverse public transportation options for its residents across different cities. As you might expect, transportation costs will very much vary per city. For example, in the city of Seattle, usual costs are around the following:
- One-way ticket in public transport (metro, bus) is $2.75;
- Monthly public transport pass is $99;
- Taxi start tariff of around $2.60 (plus $1.68 per half a mile of travel over that).
Leisure
When moving to Washington State, you’ll quickly find out that the Evergreen State is full of amazing things to do –from dining out to exploring beautiful national parks, this state will manage to keep you on your toes.
To help you picture your new adventure in the state of Washington, we put together a list of cool things you can do in the state and their respective costs.
| Activity | Average Price |
| One movie ticket | $11 – $15 |
| Ticket to the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit | $18 – 29 |
| Ticket to Boeing’s Future of Flight museum | $27 |
| Two theater tickets | $212 |
| Ticket to the Museum of Pop Culture | $23 – 28 |
| Ticket to the Museum of Glass | $ 28 ($14.50 for local residents!) |
| Domestic beer at a local pub | $6.25 |
| Monthly gym membership | $69 |
In case you’re an outdoors lover, these are some beautiful parks we recommend visiting:
- Hoh Rain Forest;
- North Cascades National Park;
- Olympic National Park;
- Mount Rainier National Park.
Curious Facts About Washington
- The state of Washington is the country’s #1 apple producer —maybe we should reconsider calling NYC The Big Apple?;
- Despite being surrounded by 10 volcanoes (yes, 10!), Washington is somehow one of the safest states when it comes to natural disasters;
- A tree grew around a bike that had been left chained to it in Vashon Island —locals say the bike belong to a man who left it chained to the tree before he left to fight in World War I;
- A war started between the British Empire (which controlled Canada at the time) and the US because a pig trespassed from Canada into US territory to eat some potato crops and was, consequently, shot by an American settler —let’s just say that the poor piggie at least received some justice.
We hope that you found exactly what you were looking for in this article and feel fully prepared to take the plunge and give the Evergreen State a chance. If you still feel like you might need some extra help, we got your back. Check out the articles we have linked for you below. 🙂
Unable to Choose Among Washington State Movers?
We know that moving requires you to make a lot of big decisions. So, we understand if you’re struggling on taking the final steps to make the big move. If you don’t want to miss out on the best moving companies in Washington State, at Sirelo we can help make your move easier!
By filling out our simple quote form, we can put you in direct contact with up to 5 moving companies. This will allow you to compare between quotes, and ultimately select the one that suits your needs the best!
