Bellevue tops Seattle metro as most expensive city for rent

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Bellevue has once again claimed the title of the most expensive city for renters in the Seattle metro area, according to a new report from Zumper.

The October 2024 Seattle Metro Report analyzed active rental listings and revealed that the median price for a one-bedroom apartment in Bellevue reached $2,530 last month. A two-bedroom topped the charts at $3,200 per month.

The report also found that Redmond, with a median rent of $2,310, and Kirkland, at $2,250, ranked as the second and third most expensive cities, respectively, for one-bedroom apartments.

In contrast, Wenatchee was the most affordable city in the Seattle metro area, with one-bedrooms priced at $1,270, followed by Lakewood at $1,350 and Tacoma at $1,420.

Bellevue not only holds the top spot for rent prices, but it also recorded the fastest year-over-year rent growth, with prices increasing 11% since Oct. 2023. Bremerton followed with a 5.5% rise, and Lakewood saw rents climb by 3.8% over the same period.

On a month-to-month basis, Bremerton experienced the most significant growth, with a 4.1% increase in rents, followed by Everett at 2% and Tacoma at 1.4%.

The Washington state median rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $1,573 in Sept. 2024, according to Zumper's report, which aggregated listings across metro cities to calculate median asking rents.

As rent prices continue to rise, renters in the Seattle metro area face mounting challenges with securing affordable housing.

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