Seattle, WA Rental Market Trends

Seattle Rent Report: March 2024

Welcome to the Apartment List March 2024 Rent Report for Seattle, WA. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $1,988, after rising 0.8% last month. Prices and are now up 0.7% year-over-year. Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the Seattle rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader Seattle metro area and the nation as a whole.

Seattle rents are up 0.8% month-over-month and up 0.7% year-over-year

The median rent in Seattle rose by 0.8% over the course of February, and has now increased by a total of 0.7% over the past 12 months. Seattle’s rent growth over the past year has is similar to the state average (0.3%) and has outpaced the national average (-1.0%).

Seattle rent growth in 2024 pacing similar last year

Two months into the year, rents in Seattle have risen 0.8%. This is a similar rate of growth compared to what the city was experiencing at this point last year: from January to February 2023 rents had increased 0.3%.

February rent growth in Seattle ranked #14 among large U.S. cities

Seattle rents went up 0.8% in the past month, compared to the national rate of 0.2%. Among the nation's 100 largest cities, this ranks #14. Similar monthly rent growth took place in Spokane, WA (0.8%) and Arlington, VA (0.7%).

Seattle is the #17 most expensive large city in the U.S., with a median rent of $1,988

Citywide, the median rent currently stands at $1,855 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $2,315 for a 2-bedroom. Across all bedroom sizes (ie, the entire rental market), the median rent is $1,988. That ranks #17 in the nation, among the country's 100 largest cities.

For comparison, the median rent across the nation as a whole is $1,210 for a 1-bedroom, $1,363 for a 2-bedroom, and $1,377 overall. The median rent in Seattle is 44.4% higher than the national, and is similar to the prices you would find in Oakland, CA ($1,999) and Miami, FL ($1,895).

Seattle rents are 3.3% higher than the metro-wide median

If we expand our view to the wider Seattle metro area, the median rent is $1,925 meaning that the median price in Seattle proper ($1,988) is 3.3% greater than the price across the metro as a whole. Metro-wide annual rent growth stands at 0.7%, below the rate of rent growth within just the city.

The table below shows the latest rent stats for 19 cities in the Seattle metro area that are included in our database. Among them, Issaquah is currently the most expensive, with a median rent of $2,478. Lakewood is the metro’s most affordable city, with a median rent of $1,398. The metro's fastest annual rent growth is occurring in Bellevue (4.6%) while the slowest is in Shoreline (-5.1%).

City
Median 1BR Rent
Median 2BR Rent
M/M Rent Growth
Y/Y Rent Growth
Auburn
$1,303
$1,605
0.7%
1.2%
Bellevue
$2,061
$2,390
2.3%
4.6%
Bothell
$1,967
$2,331
0.4%
1.7%
Edmonds
$1,686
$1,884
-0.2%
-1.6%
Everett
$1,472
$1,702
0.6%
-0.6%
Federal Way
$1,400
$1,771
-0.5%
-4.4%
Issaquah
$2,084
$2,453
3.0%
2.5%
Kent
$1,370
$1,692
-1.3%
-3.9%
Kirkland
$2,020
$2,383
0.7%
0.0%
Lakewood
$1,229
$1,486
1.8%
0.6%
Lynnwood
$1,467
$1,758
-0.1%
-0.4%
Mountlake Terrace
$1,777
$1,915
-0.2%
-2.7%
North Lynnwood
$1,717
$2,154
0.1%
1.4%
Puyallup
$1,572
$1,799
0.8%
1.8%
Redmond
$1,993
$2,242
1.7%
3.2%
Renton
$1,706
$2,035
-1.8%
-2.4%
Seattle
$1,855
$2,315
0.8%
0.7%
Shoreline
$1,635
$2,046
0.5%
-5.1%
Tacoma
$1,367
$1,708
0.6%
-0.5%
See More

You can also use the map below to explore the latest rent trends in the Seattle metropolitan area.

Methodology

Apartment List is committed to the accuracy and transparency of our rent estimates. We begin with reliable median rent statistics from the Census Bureau, then extrapolate them forward to the current month using a growth rate calculated from our listing data. In doing so, we use a same-unit analysis similar to Case-Shiller’s approach, capturing apartment transactions over time to provide an accurate picture of rent growth in cities across the country. Our approach corrects for the sample bias inherent in other private sources, producing results that are much closer to statistics published by the Census Bureau and HUD. For more details, please see the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology.

Data Access

Apartment List publishes monthly rent reports and underlying data for hundreds of cities across the nation, as well as data aggregated for counties, metros, and states. These data are intended to be a source of reliable information that help renters and policymakers make sound decisions. Insights from our data are covered regularly by journalists across the country. To access the data yourself, please visit our Data Downloads Page.

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