costofliving2

Seattle cost of living

STATE TAX

Income Tax - Washington is one of only seven states that does not levy a personal income tax.

Sales Tax - Consumers pay sales tax to retail businesses based on the selling price of taxable goods. Sales tax does not apply to food products or prescription drugs, or to professional and personal services. However, consumers purchasing construction services and building materials are subject to sales tax. The combined state and local retail sales tax rates range from 7.0 percent to 8.8 percent throughout the state depending on the variable local sales tax rates. The purchaser pays the combined state and local retail sales tax to the retailer, who forwards it to the Department of Revenue. An excise tax applies to certain select products such as alcoholic beverages, gasoline, and cigarettes.

Use Tax - The use tax is a complement to the sales tax. Either sales tax or use tax (not both) applies to goods used in this state. That is, use tax applies to goods purchased (via the Internet, mail order, etc.) without payment of the sales tax. Persons moving to this state will not owe use tax on household goods and vehicles brought into this state provided that the goods were purchased more than 90 days prior to moving here. However, use tax will apply to boats, recreational vehicles, airplanes, etc., brought into this state by new residents (regardless of the purchase date). You are allowed to offset the use tax by the amount of sales or use tax previously paid to another state on the same item (proof of payment is required).Property Tax - Property taxes are quite moderate in this state. There is some variation of property tax throughout the state, due mainly to voter-approved special levies. The average rate is $13.56 per $1,000 of fair market value assessed by the County Assessor.

Real Estate Excise Tax - The sale of real property in Washington is generally subject to the real estate excise tax. This tax is imposed on the seller of the property and generally paid to the county treasurer. If you are planning to purchase land and have a house constructed on this land, different taxes would apply. The land would be subject to the real estate excise tax. The total contract price (labor and materials) for the construction of the house would be subject to the retail sales tax.

Vehicle Licensing Fee - Washington's voters passed Initiative 695, which replaces the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax with a flat $30 license fee. In addition to the $30 license fee, there are a number of other fees that will affect how much you pay to title and license your vehicle in Washington. Please see the web site link for the Department of Licensing to calculate fee.

UTILITIES

The average cost of utilities, including natural gas, electric, water, sewer and garbage is about $200 per month (est.) for a 1800 square foot home. Please note the costs may vary depending on size of unit, heat source and can very slightly depending on the electricity service provider and usage.

PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT
Water and sewer service providers will vary depending on the location of the property.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
This is managed by the private sector. The city (or Home Owners Association) where you locate a permanent residence will provide the current contracted provider for this service.

PHONE COMPANIES - LOCAL PROVIDERS AND DSL SERVICES
Qwest, Verizon and Comcast provide local residential phone service for most of the Puget Sound area. Usually no deposit is required. The following items may be requested when initiating service:
" Social Security number
" Previous phone number
" A reference number
" Work number
" New address
" Landlord number if renting
Basic installation charges can run from $43.00 to $50.00. Three business days notice is preferred for installation.

Qwest
www.qwest.com
1-800-244-1111
MSN Broadband / DSL operating at up to 640K - $49.95 per month (subject to change). This includes free hook-up, free modem and MSN Internet access.

Verizon
www.verizon.com
1-800-483-4100
DSL - $49.95 per month (subject to change). This includes free hook-up, free modem and Internet access.

CABLE TELEVISION AND CABLE INTERNET SERVICE
Comcast
www.comcast.com
1-800-266-2278
CABLE TELEVISION - $39.99 per month for first year introductory offer (subject to change).

HIGH SPEED INTERNET
Basic and Premium install - depending on outlet, modem and Internet availability - $19.99-59.99 High Speed operating at 1.5M (equal to T1 rating) - $45.95 per month (subject to change).

List of all utilities in Seattle