Can You Live in Puyallup and Commute to Seattle?

Yes, it is realistic, and thousands of people do it. Whether it is realistic for you depends on three things: where in Seattle you work, what hours you keep, and how many days a week you go in.

I will lay out each way to make the trip, what it takes door to door, and where in the Puyallup area to live for each one.

The distance

Train time is from the Sound Transit S Line schedule. Schedules change, so check the current timetable.

Thirty-five miles is not far on a map. In the Puget Sound region, the time it takes depends almost entirely on when you travel.

Option 1: The Sounder train

For most people working in downtown Seattle, this is the answer.

How it works. Sound Transit's Sounder S Line runs between Lakewood, Tacoma, and Seattle, with a stop in downtown Puyallup. Northbound trains run in the morning and southbound trains in the afternoon and evening, with a small number of reverse and midday trips. It runs on weekdays.

Time on the train. A little under 50 minutes from Puyallup to King Street Station.

Where it drops you. King Street Station sits at the south end of downtown Seattle, next to the stadiums and the Chinatown-International District, and a short walk from Pioneer Square. From there you can connect to Link light rail, buses, and the streetcar to reach other parts of the city.

Parking. The Puyallup station has more than a thousand parking spaces for riders, including a garage. Arrive with some margin until you learn how it fills.

Why people like it. The time is predictable. You can read, work, or sleep. You do not pay for downtown parking. Many employers subsidize a transit pass.

The limits. It is a commuter schedule. If you miss the last train home, your backup is a bus. It does not run a regular weekend schedule. And it only helps if your workplace is reachable from King Street Station.

I cover the details in my post on taking the Sounder from Puyallup to Seattle.

Door-to-door by train

Add up the whole trip.

That is each way. If you live within a few minutes of the station and work near King Street, it is at the short end. If you live deep on South Hill and work in South Lake Union, it is at the long end.

Option 2: Driving

The routes. There are two main ways north.

• State Route 167 north through Sumner, Auburn, and Kent, then onto Interstate 405 or across to Interstate 5.
• State Route 512 west to Interstate 5, then north through Tacoma, Fife, and Federal Way.

Most Puyallup drivers start on State Route 167. It has express toll lanes for part of its length, which solo drivers can pay to use and carpools can use under the posted rules.

Time. With no traffic, the drive is under an hour. At peak times it is commonly well over an hour, and a crash or bad weather can push it past ninety minutes. The morning peak northbound starts early, and the evening peak southbound lasts for hours.

Cost. Fuel, wear on the car, tolls if you use the express lanes, and parking in Seattle, which is expensive.

Who it works for.

• People with off-peak hours: very early shifts, late starts, nights
• People whose workplace is not near transit, such as industrial areas south of downtown
• People who go in only a day or two a week
• Carpoolers

Driving solo to downtown Seattle at peak hours five days a week is the version people most often give up on.

Leave time changes everything

A rough picture of the northbound morning drive:

These are general patterns, not guarantees. The state publishes real-time conditions and travel times through its traffic map and app. Before you commit, drive your route at your real times at least twice.

Option 3: The bus

Sound Transit's Route 578 runs between Puyallup Station and downtown Seattle by way of Sumner, Auburn, and Federal Way. It covers times when the train is not running, including midday, evenings, and weekends.

It shares the road with everyone else, so the trip is long, typically well over an hour and sometimes considerably more. Think of it as the backup that makes the train workable, since it gets you home if you miss the last Sounder.

Check the current Route 578 schedule.

Option 4: Drive to light rail

Link light rail has been extending south through King County toward Federal Way, with a further extension to Tacoma planned. Some South Sound commuters drive to a station with parking and ride the rest of the way.

Light rail runs all day, every day, with frequent trains. That makes it more flexible than Sounder. The trade is the drive to the station and a longer ride into the city.

Check Sound Transit for the current southern end of the line and parking availability.

Option 5: Vanpool and carpool

Pierce Transit and King County Metro both run vanpool programs. A group of commuters shares a van, splits the cost, and uses the carpool lanes. If your employer is large, there may already be a van from the Puyallup area. Ask your employer's commute coordinator.

Where you work in Seattle matters

If your job is in south King County, such as Kent, Renton, Tukwila, or near the airport, the commute from Puyallup is far more manageable than one into Seattle proper.

How many days a week?

This is the question that has changed the answer for a lot of households.

• Five days. Possible on the train if your office is near King Street and your hours are regular. Hard by car.
• Three days. Very common now. Many people find it a fair trade for more house.
• One or two days. Easy to live with. You can drive off-peak or take the train and not think about it much.
• Fully remote with occasional trips. Puyallup works well.

One caution: employers change their policies. Before you buy based on a two-day schedule, ask yourself whether you could handle four.

Where to live in the Puyallup area for a Seattle commute

Location inside the area can add or remove 20 minutes each way.

For the train

• Downtown Puyallup. Walk to the station.
• The blocks around downtown and the lower hillsides. A five- to ten-minute drive.
• Lower South Hill. Ten to fifteen minutes to the station.
• The east side and Sumner. Sumner has its own Sounder station, one stop closer to Seattle.

For driving

• North and east sides, near the State Route 167 on-ramps.
• Avoid, if you can, the far south end of South Hill, where you face a long surface-street drive before you reach any freeway.

My post on which parts of Puyallup are best for your commute goes deeper.

The costs, compared

Parking alone in downtown Seattle can cost more per month than a transit pass.

What a commuting day looks like

A typical train commuter's weekday goes something like this. Up early. A short drive or walk to the station. Coffee on the platform. Fifty minutes of reading or email. A walk or a quick light rail hop to the office. The reverse in the afternoon, home in time for dinner if you catch a mid-afternoon train.

It is a long day. People who sustain it for years tend to treat the train time as their own: a book, a podcast, a nap, or a head start on work that lets them leave earlier.

Backup plans

Every commuter needs these.

• Missed the last train: Route 578, or light rail south and a ride from there.
• Train disruption: Sound Transit posts alerts. Freight traffic, landslides, and track work occasionally cause delays or bus substitutions.
• Sick child or emergency: Know how you would get home midday. The bus runs, and some employers offer an emergency ride home program.
• Snow: The train often keeps running when roads are bad. Getting from South Hill to the station can be the hard part.

Weather and disruptions

A few times each year, something upsets the routine. Track work or a freight problem can delay a train, heavy rain can slow everything, or snow can close the hill roads and slow every freeway. Sign up for rider alerts, keep a toll account for the days you have to drive, and tell your employer in advance how you will handle those days. People who plan for five or six rough commutes a year rarely find them a reason to quit.

Is it worth it?

The trade is simple to state. You accept a long commute, and in exchange you generally get more house, more yard, and a lower price than you would closer to Seattle.

For some households that trade is easy. For others, time matters more than space.

A way to decide: put a number on your commute hours for a year. Two and a half hours a day, three days a week, 48 weeks a year, is 360 hours. Then look at what the same budget buys closer in. Pick the one you would not resent.

Try it before you buy

1. Drive to the Puyallup station at your real departure time. See how parking looks.
2. Ride the train in and time the walk or transfer to your office.
3. Ride home on the train you would normally take.
4. Drive the whole route once at peak, to know what the alternative is.
5. Do it on a rainy day.

One day of testing is worth more than any estimate.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the commute from Puyallup to Seattle?

The Sounder train takes a little under 50 minutes to King Street Station, plus time to reach the station and your workplace. Driving is about 35 miles and commonly takes well over an hour at peak times.

Is there a train from Puyallup to Seattle?

Yes. Sound Transit's Sounder S Line stops in downtown Puyallup and runs to King Street Station in Seattle on weekdays, mainly during commute hours.

Is it worth living in Puyallup and working in Seattle?

It can be if your job is reachable by train, your hours are regular, or you commute only a few days a week. Housing generally costs less in Puyallup, which is the trade for the longer trip.

What is the best way to commute from Puyallup to Seattle?

For downtown Seattle jobs with regular hours, the Sounder train is usually best. For off-peak hours or workplaces away from transit, driving via State Route 167 is the main option.

Can I commute from Puyallup to Bellevue?

It is possible by car using State Route 167 and Interstate 405, but it is a long and variable drive at peak times. It works better on a hybrid schedule.

Related reading

• Taking the Sounder Train From Puyallup to Seattle
• Which Parts of Puyallup Are Best for Your Commute?
• Puyallup to Tacoma Commute: What Rush Hour Looks Like
• How Long Does It Take to Get From Puyallup to Sea-Tac Airport?

Equal Housing Opportunity. Austin Robertson, License # 21036843, Austin Robertson and Allena Robertson Real Estate Brokers, regulated by the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). This article is general information only. It is not legal, tax, insurance, lending, or construction advice, and it is not an appraisal of any property. Robertson & Co. supports fair housing and does not describe or recommend neighborhoods based on who lives there. Costs, rates, and rules change. Confirm the details with the sources linked above before you act.