Overall
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 103.7
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- 103.9
Diff +0.2 RPP
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater vs Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Wenatchee-East Wenatchee is 0.2% more expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater.
0.2% more expensive
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA is 0.2% more expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.9 vs 103.7). A $100,000 salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater buys about the same as $100,178 in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 103.7 (Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater) vs 103.9 (Wenatchee-East Wenatchee)
- $100k in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater ≈ $100,178 purchasing power in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- Services drives the gap (+8.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:WA 103.7→103.9
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · WA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
103.7
Cost Index
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
103.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA and Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Wenatchee-East Wenatchee is 8.9 points higher. But rents and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater to $100,178 in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 105.0
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- 105.0
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- 100.6
Diff +8.9 RPP
Rents
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 116.7
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- 115.0
Diff -1.7 RPP
| Category | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 103.7 | 103.9 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 105.0 | 0.0 |
| Services | 91.7 | 100.6 | +8.9 |
| Rents | 116.7 | 115.0 | -1.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 103.7
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 103.9
Goods
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 105.0
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 105.0
Services
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 91.7
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 100.6
Rents
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 116.7
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 115.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater would need to be in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee for the same purchasing power:
| In Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | In Wenatchee-East Wenatchee | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,089 | +$89 |
| $75,000 | $75,134 | +$134 |
| $100,000 | $100,178 | +$178 |
| $150,000 | $150,268 | +$268 |
$ in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater = in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (103.7 → 103.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wenatchee-East Wenatchee more expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee is 0.2% more expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater. The overall cost index is 103.9 vs 103.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee equals $100K in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
A $100,000 salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater has the same purchasing power as $100,178 in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater and Wenatchee-East Wenatchee?
Rents in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater are indexed at 116.7 while Wenatchee-East Wenatchee is at 115.0 (national average = 100). Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.