Overall
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- 103.9
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 103.7
Diff -0.2 RPP
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee vs Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is 0.2% less expensive than Wenatchee-East Wenatchee.
0.2% less expensive
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA is 0.2% less expensive than Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.7 vs 103.9). A $100,000 salary in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee buys about the same as $99,822 in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 103.9 (Wenatchee-East Wenatchee) vs 103.7 (Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater)
- $100k in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee ≈ $99,822 purchasing power in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- Services drives the gap (-8.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:WA 103.9→103.7
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.
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
103.9
Cost Index
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
103.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA and Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, 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: Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is 8.9 points lower. 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 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee to $99,822 in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- 105.0
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 105.0
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- 100.6
Diff -8.9 RPP
Rents
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
- 115.0
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 116.7
Diff +1.7 RPP
| Category | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 103.9 | 103.7 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 105.0 | 0.0 |
| Services | 100.6 | 91.7 | -8.9 |
| Rents | 115.0 | 116.7 | +1.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 103.9
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 103.7
Goods
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 105.0
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 105.0
Services
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 100.6
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 91.7
Rents
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 115.0
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 116.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee would need to be in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater for the same purchasing power:
| In Wenatchee-East Wenatchee | In Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,911 | $-89 |
| $75,000 | $74,866 | $-134 |
| $100,000 | $99,822 | $-178 |
| $150,000 | $149,733 | $-267 |
$ in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee = in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (103.9 → 103.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater more expensive than Wenatchee-East Wenatchee?
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is 0.2% less expensive than Wenatchee-East Wenatchee. The overall cost index is 103.7 vs 103.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater equals $100K in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee?
A $100,000 salary in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee has the same purchasing power as $99,822 in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Wenatchee-East Wenatchee and Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
Rents in Wenatchee-East Wenatchee are indexed at 115.0 while Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is at 116.7 (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.