Bellevue Rents Among Highest In U.S., Even Higher Than Seattle

BELLEVUE, WA - It's more expansive to rent an apartment in Bellevue than San Diego, Washington, DC., Chicago - and Seattle.

That's according to the latest monthly U.S rental report from RENTCafé. The average rent in Bellevue in April was about $2,100 per month, which is 0.3 percent higher than March, but a 0.8 percent decrease from April 2017. Bellevue has the most expensive rents in the whole state, according to the report. Seattle is second at about $2,000 per month.

The report also had some troubling news for cities with typically lower rents.

Renton was the 65th most expensive city on the list with rent averaging around $1,500 in April. But that's 2.4 percent higher than one year ago. On a monthly basis, rent in Renton increased 0.8 percent

Tacoma had the 25th highest year-over-year rent growth in April at 6.3 percent. Rents are still relatively affordable in Tacoma averaging about $1,200 per month. But there's evidence that developers from Seattle are starting to buy real estate in Tacoma - and jack up rents.

Here's a look at the April rent picture around Puget Sound:

Renton
Average: $1,590
MoM increase: 0.6%
YoY increase: 2.4%

Everett
Average: $1,352
MoM increase: 0.4%
YoY increase: 2.3%

Bellevue
Average: $2,107
MoM increase: 0.3%
YoY increase: -0.8%

Seattle
Average: $2,001
MoM increase: 0.2%
YoY increase: 3.3%

Kent
Average: $1,427
MoM increase: 0.1%
YoY increase: 4.8%

Spokane
Average: $904
MoM increase: 0.1%
YoY increase: 3.3%

Tacoma
Average: $1,201
MoM increase: -0.6%
YoY increase: 6.3%

Caption: An apartment at the Lincoln Tower building in downtown Bellevue costs $3,800 to start - with some units renting for as much as $23,000 per month.

Image via Realtor.com