Your monthly guide to rental conditions in Seattle Metro. This is our August 2026 report, covering July 2026 rental data: what rents looked like last month, what's driving the market, and what it means if you own a rental home.
Seattle Metro Rental Market Snapshot — July 2026
Here's where Seattle Metro rents landed in July 2026, across all property types — apartments, condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.
The Seattle Metro median rent hit $2,218 in July 2026, up 0.75% from June but still 0.98% below where it stood a year ago. Homes are sitting on the market for 48 days on average, so while seasonal momentum is nudging rents up, landlords are still pricing into a soft leasing environment.
| Metric | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Median Rent (All Types, Seattle Metro) | $2,218 | +0.8% MoM |
| Avg. Days on Market | 48 days | — |
| Rent Growth YoY | -1.0% | — |
Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all rental property types, July 2026.
What's Driving Seattle Metro Rental Market Conditions Right Now
Seattle Metro Rental Supply and New Construction
New construction pressure in the Seattle metro is concentrated along Sound Transit's Link Light Rail corridors and urban infill pockets, not spread evenly across the market. The University District, Northgate, Rainier Valley, Beacon Hill, and the Eastlink extension into Bellevue and Redmond are absorbing the bulk of new multifamily deliveries, alongside dense urban neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, and First Hill. Overall, the pipeline is tapering sharply: new apartment deliveries fell to 1,760 units in Q1 2026, down 59% year-over-year, and total units under construction dropped 11% to 17,813, with permitting running at roughly half the pace it held from 2014 to 2020.
Why People Rent in Seattle Metro
Seattle's renter base keeps growing because buying a home here is out of reach for most households, and the job market keeps pulling people in. Amazon's return-to-office mandate brought roughly 50,000 employees back to daily commutes starting January 2025, pushing demand up sharply in South Lake Union, Capitol Hill, First Hill, and Belltown, where proximity to major employers justifies the premium. Seattle also added 11,572 new residents in the year ending July 2025, ranking fifth among U.S. cities for numeric growth, with international migration carrying most of that load and keeping the renter pool deep.
What This Means for Seattle Metro Landlords
The summer leasing window closes fast: activity typically drops after Labor Day, and with 48 days on market as of July, a vacancy listed today may not fill until mid-September if you overprice it. Price to move now, before the fall slowdown hits, and lean on your proximity to Link Light Rail or major employer corridors as a concrete selling point rather than waiting for a better offer that may not come until spring.
Seattle Metro Rent by City — July 2026
Kirkland and Renton lead the Seattle metro in leasing speed, with homes moving in 33 and 34 days respectively. Kent sits at the other end of the table with an 82-day average, and Seattle's 55-day DOM came in with a slight 0.4% rent dip month-over-month. Across the metro, most cities clustered between 33 and 55 days, with Kent as a clear outlier on the slow end.
| City | Median Rent | 2BR Median | 3BR Median | Avg. DOM | MoM Change | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $2,024 | $2,702 | $3,510 | 55 days | -0.4% | -2.6% |
| Everett, WA | $1,866 | $1,812 | $2,757 | 46 days | +5.5% | -2.7% |
| Bellevue, WA | $2,871 | $2,806 | $3,903 | 41 days | -0.9% | -3.5% |
| Redmond, WA | $2,499 | $2,649 | $3,500 | 46 days | +0.0% | +3.6% |
| Renton, WA | $2,494 | $2,576 | $2,977 | 34 days | +0.2% | +1.9% |
| Tacoma, WA | $1,600 | $1,752 | $2,629 | 51 days | +1.9% | -8.8% |
| Kirkland, WA | $2,485 | $2,608 | $3,862 | 33 days | +1.1% | -10.2% |
| Kent, WA | $1,907 | $1,834 | $2,892 | 82 days | -1.3% | +14.6% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all property types, July 2026. Median Rent is across all property types. |
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Seattle, WA: Amazon's return-to-office mandate brought roughly 50,000 workers back to Seattle five days a week starting in January 2025, and neighborhoods like South Lake Union and Capitol Hill have absorbed much of that demand. At $2,024 median rent and 55 days on market, Seattle leased slower than most of the metro in July, and rents dipped a modest 2.6% year-over-year, suggesting some softening even as close-in demand holds up better than outlying areas.
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Everett, WA: At $1,866 median rent, Everett remains one of the more affordable options in the metro, and the 5.5% month-over-month jump in July was the sharpest single-month gain of any city in this table. That spike is worth watching, but with rents still down 2.7% year-over-year, it likely reflects a bounce off a soft June rather than a sustained upward trend.
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Bellevue, WA: Bellevue posted the highest median rent in the metro at $2,871 in July, and homes leased in just 41 days, one of the faster paces in this table. Rents slipped 0.9% month-over-month and 3.5% year-over-year, so while demand keeps absorption brisk, pricing power has softened compared to a year ago.
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Redmond, WA: Tech professionals and families seeking proximity to the Microsoft campus and top-rated school districts drive Redmond's rental market, and the numbers reflect that stability. Rents held exactly flat month-over-month at $2,499 and rose 3.6% year-over-year, the strongest annual gain in this table, with a 46-day DOM showing steady, consistent absorption.
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Renton, WA: Renton tied Redmond on DOM at 46 days and posted a $2,494 median rent in July, essentially matching its neighbor on both measures. The 1.9% year-over-year gain and a nearly flat 0.2% month-over-month move point to a market that is holding its ground quietly while many surrounding cities see annual declines.
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Tacoma, WA: Tacoma's $1,600 median rent makes it the most affordable city in this table by a wide margin, which normally draws renters priced out elsewhere. The 8.8% year-over-year drop is the steepest annual decline listed here, though July's 1.9% month-over-month gain and a 51-day DOM suggest the floor may be stabilizing after a rough stretch.
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Kirkland, WA: Kirkland leased fastest of any city in this table, with homes clearing in just 33 days in July, and rents ticked up 1.1% month-over-month to $2,485. The catch is a 10.2% year-over-year decline, the largest annual drop in the group, so while leasing velocity is strong right now, owners pricing above last year's comps will likely sit longer than that 33-day average suggests.
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Kent, WA: Kent's 82-day DOM stood far above every other city in this table in July, a clear signal that supply is outpacing demand at current price points. The 14.6% year-over-year rent increase is striking, but with homes sitting that long, owners who want to lease quickly should price competitively rather than lean on the annual gain as a ceiling.
Seattle Metro Rent by Bedroom Count and Property Type — July 2026
Rent by Bedroom Count in Seattle Metro
Rents across the Seattle metro climbed steadily by bedroom count in July 2026, but the increases were far from uniform. The jump from a 2-bedroom to a 3-bedroom rental was the steepest in the lineup, at $912, pushing the median for 3-bedroom rentals to $3,254. By contrast, the step up from a studio ($1,583) to a 1-bedroom ($1,814) was only $231, the smallest gap between any two adjacent sizes. The full spread from studio to 4-bedroom ran $2,355, with the 4-bedroom median landing at $3,938.
| Bedroom Count in Seattle Metro | Median Rent (July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,583 |
| 1-Bedroom | $1,814 |
| 2-Bedroom | $2,342 |
| 3-Bedroom | $3,254 |
| 4-Bedroom | $3,938 |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, Seattle Metro, July 2026. |
Rent by Property Type in Seattle Metro
Single-family homes led every property type in July 2026, with a median rent of $3,481, which is $1,262 (56.9%) above the blended metro median of $2,218. Townhouses came in second at $2,958, a $740 premium over the blend. Condos tracked closest to the metro median at $2,177, just $41 below it, while apartments lagged significantly at $1,879, or 15.3% under the blended figure. The DOM gap is equally striking: single-family homes leased in 15 days, condos in 22, townhouses in 26, and apartments in 100 days, nearly seven times slower than single-family.
| Property Type in Seattle Metro | Median Rent | Avg. Days on Market | MoM Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Property Types (Blended) | $2,218 | 48 days | +0.8% |
| Single Family | $3,481 | 15 days | +0.3% |
| Condo | $2,177 | 22 days | +0.9% |
| Townhouse | $2,958 | 26 days | +0.1% |
| Apartment | $1,879 | 100 days | +0.1% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, Seattle Metro, July 2026. |
Data Sources & Methodology
- Rental market data: Median rents, days on market, listing counts, and rent change figures. Sourced from county public records, deed and tax assessor data, and rental listings on publicly accessible platforms.
- Doorstead Platform Data: Internal leasing outcomes from Doorstead-managed rental homes across all property types, including days to lease. Trailing 12 months.
Data refreshed monthly. Doorstead benchmarks reflect managed properties only and may not be representative of the broader Seattle Metro rental market.