Spokane Rents Increased In January: Report

SPOKANE, WA - Spokane saw one of the biggest rental increases in the state in January, according to the real estate website RENTCafé, but was not alone in price increases. The monthly rental market report from RENTCafé gives a glimpse at how average rents are heating and cooling across the state.

The average rent in Seattle was flat at $1,972 in January, but that's almost a $1,000 increase compared to 2010. Across the state, Spokane and Kent saw the biggest rent increases in January, but average rents in those cities were far less than cities like Seattle and Bellevue.

Bellevue maintained its status as the priciest rental market. The average rent was $2,064 in January, a 0.2 percent increase over December, but only a 0.8 percent increase compared to January 2017. Seattle rents grew 5.1 percent between January 2017 and January 2018, according to RENTCafé.

If you're looking for the cheapest (but rising) rents in Washington, head east to Spokane.

Here's the January snapshot of rents around Washington:

Caption: On April 24, 2013, Kris King spreads his arms as he shows off his tiny apartment in Seattle. Even King was initially shocked by the size of the apartment he rented near downtown, roughly the size of large parking spot.

Photo by Elaine Thompson/Associated Press