ADJENTURING

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What It’s Like Living in Washington D.C. and Why I Left

6–9 minutes

In August 2025, I started on a six-month digital nomad trip around the U.S. My goal is to live in different cities for a few weeks to a month to explore them more deeply than a typical vacation, and figure out where I might want to live long-term.

After college, I moved to Washington, D.C. for work. It left a good first impression – it was walkable, vibrant, and close to friends and family in New York. But after living there, I quickly started getting bored.

Once I found a fully remote job, I decided it was time to move and explore other cities. This is what it was like living in D.C. and why I decided to leave.

Washington D.C. Scorecard

  • Food: 2.5/5. A luxury food lovers’ paradise, but generally expensive due to high food taxes and hidden fees, and it’s hard to find a quality $20 sit-down meal. Very few good bakeries.
  • Cost of living: 2.5/5. Housing is expensive and rising quickly, thanks to tech companies moving in. Groceries are priced reasonably, but food is expensive.
  • Walkability: 4/5. Downtown is very walkable, but the suburbs surrounding D.C. are not.
  • Public transportation: 4/5. The metro system is one of the best in the U.S. – Clean, safe, air conditioned, and not too crowded. Downsides are limited connectivity between certain neighborhoods, high costs, and limited frequency and hours.
  • Cleanliness & safety: 3.5/5. Generally clean and safe in most neighborhoods. It’s helpful to know where to avoid.
  • Things to do in the city: 2/5. Great for visiting (fantastic museums), but living there felt boring quickly.
  • Nature access: 2/5. The biking paths are fantastic, but hikes require long drives through traffic and hiking views aren’t world-class like on the West Coast or in the Mountain West.
  • Drivability: 2/5. Traffic is horrendous, drivers are aggressive, and roads are confusing.
  • Weather: 2/5. Fall and late spring are basically perfect, but every other time of year is miserable due to heat and humidity in the summer or cold, wind, and rain the winter.
  • People: 2.5/5. Neutral friendliness save for particular spaces like rock climbing gyms. D.C. has a reputation for its people being very corporate and networky.

Total score: 27/50. I was drawn to D.C. initially, but the lack of nature, activities, and poor drivability made me excited to leave.

What I Liked About Washington D.C.

  • High-end food scene: Fantastic upscale and Michelin star restaurants, but too expensive for my budget.
  • Living conditions: Rent is expensive in most places near public transportation (~$2,300 to live alone), but comes with perks like in-unit laundry, building amenities (gym, front desk, etc.), and more space.
  • Public transportation is clean and not crowded: Clean, safe, and relatively uncrowded metro system.
  • Harris Teeter: Affordable grocery store with frequent sales.
  • Top tier, free museums: Art, cultural, and history museums have incredible collections, and are all free.
  • Biking trails: Well-maintained and well-connected, and affordable to rent a city bike.

What I Didn’t Like About Washington D.C.

  • Limited good food options on a budget and hidden fees: $20-30 sit-down meals are hard to find. Prices are high compared to quality, hidden fees are common, and Asian food is vastly underrepresented.
  • Bad bakeries: The average croissant in D.C. is absolutely abysmal.
  • High cost of rent: Rent is already expensive and monthly rent is rising $100-200 per year.
  • Public transportation has limitations: The metro stops running from 1am-6am. The metro is very expensive due to surge pricing on weekdays – a normal commute could be $4-5 each way. There’s limited connectivity between some neighborhoods, and some lines run infrequently.
  • Nature is far and not super impressive: Shenandoah National Park is over two hours away. Closer parks like Great Falls and Harper’s Ferry have limited hiking options. Most of the scenery felt repetitive and far less impressive as nature out west.
  • Weather: Hot, humid summers reaching 100F, and cold, rainy winters without snow.
  • Limited activities: Many days felt boring after work. Most museums and stores close after 5pm.
  • Traffic: Commutes are slow and stressful. Getting anywhere takes 30 min to an hour.

Hiking Near D.C.

Shenandoah National Park (2-3 hour drive)

  • Mary’s Rock (4 miles, moderate): Great views of Shenandoah valley.
  • Dark Hollow Falls & Rose River Falls (5.5 miles, moderate): Scenic waterfalls, mostly easy with some steep areas.
  • Old Rag (9 miles, hard): Most iconic Shenandoah hike, known for a fun scramble at the top. Reservations required.
  • Bearfence (1.5 miles, moderate): Very short hike, almost entirely scrambling.
  • Blackrock Summit (1 mile, easy): Great spot for golden hour and sunset.
  • Stop by Broad Porch Coffee for coffee, pastries, biscuit sandwiches, and great vibes (one of my favorite coffee shops of all time).

Great Falls Park (30 min drive)

  • Billy Goat Trail (Moderate): Long scramble ending at a viewpoint of the Great Falls rapids. Would not recommend during the summer, as the rocks get really hot.

Harpers Ferry (1 hour drive)

  • Maryland Heights Trail (4.5 miles, moderate): Pretty famous hike overlooking the river and town of Harpers Ferry. Gets quite crowded, relatively steep but not very long.
  • Weverton Cliffs (1.7 miles, moderate): Shorter hike than Maryland Heights, looks over the river but no views of Harpers Ferry town.

West Virginia (2-3 hour drive)

  • Dolly Sods: Beautiful area, great for fall colors. Access is via a bumpy dirt road. Lots of hike options.
  • Chimney Top (5.5 miles, hard): Steep hike up to chimney-like rock formations.
  • Seneca Rocks (3.5 miles, moderate): Interesting rock formation.
  • Stop by TipTop Coffee and explore downtown Thomas nearby.

Exploring D.C.

Museums

  • National Gallery: One of the best art museums the U.S. – Massive collection, well-curated, beautiful building. I highly recommend one of the free guided tours, which are all led by artists.
    • National Gallery Nights: Overrated in my opinion – Loud, crowded, and you don’t get to see most of the art, but there are some fun themes and it’s a fun way to break up routine.
  • National Mall: High concentration of D.C. museums and monuments. Can get crowded during tourist season. Highly walkable.
  • National Zoo: Lots of species, including pandas!
  • National Botanical Garden: Small museum with some interesting exhibits, not a must-visit.

Neighborhoods

  • Georgetown: The SoHo of D.C. Cute red brick neighborhood, high-end shopping and food, a few cool boutiques. Very crowded, hard to reach through public transportation.
  • AdMo: Mostly residential with concentrated restaurants and bars. Hard to reach through public transportation.
  • NoMa: Recently gentrified, lots of interesting, expensive boutiques. It’s worth spending an afternoon at Union Market, which has food stalls and interesting stores.
  • Eastern Market: Great farmer’s market. Home to Market Lunch, my favorite pancake spot in D.C.

Weekend Trips From D.C.

Best Food in D.C.

For a full guide on the best restaurants, bakeries, and cafes in D.C. and places to avoid, check out my Washington D.C. food guide.

Restaurants

Bakeries

Cafes

Popular Food Places to Avoid

Conclusion

Leaving D.C. was 100% the right decision for me. I’m glad to be exploring cities that are more aligned to my personal interests and priorities and it’s fun to experience new things.

To read about my experiences digital nomading, check out my other articles:

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