How Much Does It Cost To Live In Bremerton Washington? Seattle vs Bremerton

All right, so you were wondering how much it costs to live in Bremerton Wa. Well, this video is going to be all about the cost of living right here in Bremerton Wa. So stay tuned.

Hey everyone, welcome back to my channel, I am Ledeana Strand, I am a realtor in Port Orchard Wa. If this is your first time to my channel, and you want to learn everything about working, eating, sleeping, living playing, Make sure you tap that subscribe button and click the little bell so you’re notified every time I do a new video. I get calls, emails, texts, every single day, I’m helping them, and I absolutely love it. So, People, if you’re thinking about moving, relocating here to the Western Wa. area, make sure you give me a call, shoot me a text, or send me an email, However you want to get ahold of me. I’ve got your back when moving to the Western Wa. Area.

In this video, we’re going to talk about the cost of living via houses, renting, buying groceries, health insurance, child care, etc. and we’re going to compare it to some of the other major cities that are neighbors to us to the east.

 So let’s get started with the elephant in the room. Housing prices are what make it so much more expensive to live in Bremerton, and the surrounding area, compared to when you look at the average of the United States.

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So currently in the United States, the average household price is about 230,000, in Bremerton we’re right around $310,000. However, Bremerton is one of the least expensive places in all of Kitsap county as far as housing prices, but I think that is about to change because of the fast ferry being available, and with just a short ferry ride you can be in dowtown Seattle. It’s super convenient.

Bremerton is very centrally located in Kitsap county as well, and In a little bit I’m going to show a map of all the different areas and you know what it costs per area. We are higher than the national average, But when you talk about our neighbors up to the east, Seattle where the median house price is more than double what it is in Bremerton, it keeps things in perspective. We have a very strong economy here in Bremerton, due to the Kitsap Naval base located in Bremerton which employs over 25,000 civilians alone.

All right. So we talked about owning a house. Now what about renting? Well, renting is actually kind of gone crazy in Bremerton. A lot of the rental prices are higher than buying, but just to let you know, if you are going to rent a three bedroom condo or townhouse or a house here in the Bemerton the average prices 1,600 dollars, and for a 4 bedroom rental, you are looking closer to 1900. Now there are areas where you’re gonna find it quite a bit cheaper than that and some that are quite a bit more expensive.

All right, so now we’ve talked about actually getting into a home, whether you’re going to buy it or rent it. Let’s talk about the average monthly cost for all of your utilities. Right now, if you average everything out, it’s going to be close to about 130 dollars, And that’s your water, sewer, and garbage. And if you want internet right now, the average price is around 60 bucks a month. It’s a little bit higher than the national average, but it’s right there.

Okay, so you’re living in your house, you’re paying your monthly payments on your water, sewer, garbage. Now, how do you get to work? The nice thing about Bremerton is its location to hwy 16 that can take you to I-5 which is the main freeway to Tacoma and Seattle. The other great thing about Bremerton, and why it is attracting a lot of people from across the Puget sound, from Seattle, is the Bremerton Fast ferry, that again, can have you over to Seattle in a very short time.

It is a great way to commute if you live in Bremerton and work in Seattle. It has become very attractive for amazon workers, among other very popular employers. And because of the Naval base being right in Bremerton, it’s a great place for a lot of the military families based here.

 So, we have a lot of people that live in Bremerton who commute to Seattle, and they have different options for commuting. There is the ferry system that you can catch in downtown Bremerton, and you can be in downtown Seattle in 30 minutes. The monthly pass for the fast ferry is around 170.00 per month, at the time of the recording of this video.

If you would rather not take the ferry across, and you would rather drive around to Tacoma or Seattle, you can do that via I-5, and that will take you across the Tacoma Narrows bridge ,which is a toll bridge, and you can get a good to go pass, and the fee for that is $5 per day, and you only pay going eastbound on highway 16. We also have some die hard bicyclist that ride their bikes to the ferry, so if that is your thing, that is an option as well.

The average here in Bremerton, the gas prices are right around typically 3.20-3.30 per gallon.I just bought gas at Costco the other day, and I paid 2.20 a gallon, but we are also dealing with the COVID-19, so 2.20 a gallon isn’t the norm here. So, whenever you are watching this, it may change, but comment below and I’ll let you know what it is.

Okay, so you work, what do you work for? so that you can go out and enjoy the incredible food we have to offer. But let’s talk about how much it costs to do an average meal or a couple at a pretty good restaurant is going to be right around 20-25 bucks per person. The average meal is about 12-14 dollars, but then you got your drinks, and we have some pretty good breweries in our area to enjoy!

 Now if you’re going to make meals at home, you’re going to be going and grabbing groceries, our food prices and grocery prices are basically, even with the United States, your grocery expenses are going to be basically the same as the national average.

 All right, so when you’re buying things, the sticker price is not the final price, unless it is a food item, as we have a sales tax of 9% here on non-food items. But, we do not have any income tax like our neighbors to the south do in Oregon.

Let’s talk about child care. It’s not cheap. For one child for full time day care, you can expect to pay 800-900 a month. And if you are relocating to this area, just know that there is typically about a 7 month waiting list to get your child into a day care.

 And the last thing I want to cover right now is healthcare, and with health care, we sit right at that 100 index. So let’s say you work for an employer that does not offer health insurance or your working as an entrepreneur or a real estate agent.

 A low end amount for a below 40 non-smoker is right around 300 bucks a month, and that will have a deductible of about 6,000. But for people who’ve lived here forever, they think that price is astronomical. But if you look at the average, we are right on target with the rest of the country.

 So you’re going to pay more than twice as much for rent and to buy a home in Seattle than you will here in Bremerton. I really want to give you an understanding of the Kitsap area as a whole compared to Seattle to the east of us.

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( Back to video). But again, reach out to me anytime and I can answer a lot of those questions too. And like I said, I’m a local real estate agent here and if you have questions, if you’re thinking about moving to the Bremerton or surrounding area, or your job has you moving here, give me a call, reach out to me any way you’d like. I’d love to help you out and answer any questions you have to find your ideal place to live.

 If you know where you’re going to be working or you know where you want to be playing, then I can help you find a house really close to that because there’s so many different areas and cities around Bremerton, and depending on what your needs are, will determine the best city for you. Maybe you want a big yard, or maybe new construction, or you need to commute to the big city. There are totally different areas.

 So let’s find what you really want to accomplish here in Western Wa. and where your job is and I’ll help you find that dream house. I really hope you enjoyed the video. Comment down below if you’ve been to Bremerton, if you agree, if you disagree, I’d love to hear from you and I’ll also answer any questions you have. So I’ll be monitoring the comments.

So make sure you comment and make sure you click that subscribe button. I do a ton of videos about the Western Wa. area, what it’s like to live here, the best neighborhoods, lots of really cool stuff, and I’m going to continue doing it. So, you want to make sure you click the subscribe button and that little bell so you’re notified every time I do a video. And until next time.