Overall
100.1
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Kennewick-Richland, WA
Cost-of-living indicators for Kennewick-Richland, WA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 100.1
- Overall RPP
- #88
- of 387 metros
- 94.8
- Rents RPP
- $100K
- $100K national buys
Kennewick ranks #88 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 5.9 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell
The verdict
Kennewick is more expensive than 77% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 100.1, 0.1% above the national average, led by services at 93.6.
- top 23%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 105.0
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 93.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $99,921 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $100,079.
Service-cost relief profile
How Kennewick's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Kennewick: their index is 93.6, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 100.1 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA, Kenosha, WI, Walla Walla, WA. They resemble Kennewick across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Kennewick's overall index has risen by 5.9 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Kennewick vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
100 Top 23% higher than 77% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Kennewick cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
94.8 RPP
- Services
Services
93.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
100.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
105 RPP
What this shows Kennewick's strongest departure is services at 93.6; rents follows at 94.8. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Kennewick's cost comes from
Metros near Kennewick's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Kennewick (Kennewick, this metro): goods RPP 105, rents RPP 94.8
- Atlanta: goods RPP 100.4, rents RPP 111
- Palm Bay: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 111.7
- Greeley: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 112.6
- Allentown: goods RPP 100.6, rents RPP 105.5
- Las Vegas: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 115.5
- Port St. Lucie: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 113.6
Price Index Summary
Goods
105.0
Above avg
Services
93.6
Below avg
Rents
94.8
Below avg
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 5.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2023, when the index dropped 5.5 points from the year before.
Kennewick overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 94.2 |
| 2009 | 98.2 |
| 2010 | 96.4 |
| 2011 | 101.1 |
| 2012 | 99.3 |
| 2013 | 98.3 |
| 2014 | 98.8 |
| 2015 | 97.7 |
| 2016 | 97.4 |
| 2017 | 98.8 |
| 2018 | 100.9 |
| 2019 | 102.3 |
| 2020 | 99.8 |
| 2021 | 100.5 |
| 2022 | 104.4 |
| 2023 | 98.9 |
| 2024 | 100.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Kennewick's overall RPP rose +1.2 points, from 98.9 in 2023 to 100.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 83.2 to 94.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$100,079
in Kennewick-Richland, WA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,039
$75,000 nationally
$75,059
$125,000 nationally
$125,099
$150,000 nationally
$150,118
$200,000 nationally
$200,158
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
30/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
30th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Kennewick's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
Goods 105.0 · Services 91.2 · Rents 97.1 Kenosha, WI
Goods 106.2 · Services 85.9 · Rents 95.8 Walla Walla, WA
Goods 105.0 · Services 94.3 · Rents 86.6 Medford, OR
Goods 105.3 · Services 102.3 · Rents 97.7 Dover, DE
Goods 96.4 · Services 97.2 · Rents 95.9 Eugene-Springfield, OR
Goods 105.3 · Services 102.5 · Rents 98.3
WA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Kennewick-Richland, WA near the bottom of WA's metros
Among the 11 WA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Kennewick-Richland, WA ranks #1 - the 9th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Kennewick-Richland, WA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 11
9th percentile in WA
Services prices
#6 of 11
45th percentile in WA
Rent prices
#8 of 11
27th percentile in WA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within WA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Kennewick-Richland, WA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (100.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (94.8 here).
Other WA Metros
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 111.1 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA 105.6 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 103.9 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 103.7 Bellingham, WA 103.3 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 102.4
View all WA metros → Cheapest in WA → Most expensive in WA →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Kennewick-Richland, WA's index of 100.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Kennewick
How to read Kennewick's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $99,921 in Kennewick. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 93.6, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Kennewick head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Kennewick-Richland, WA?
Kennewick-Richland, WA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 100.1, meaning it is 0.1% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 105.0, services at 93.6, and rents at 94.8. It ranks #88 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Kennewick-Richland, WA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $100,079 in Kennewick-Richland, WA. Conversely, $100K earned in Kennewick-Richland, WA has the purchasing power of $99,921 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Kennewick-Richland, WA?
Rents in Kennewick-Richland, WA are indexed at 94.8, which is 5.2% below the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Kennewick-Richland, WA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Kennewick-Richland, WA's overall cost index changed by +5.9 points (from 94.2 to 100.1). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Kennewick-Richland, WA?
The priciest category in Kennewick-Richland, WA is goods at 105.0, 5.0% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 93.6, 6.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Kennewick-Richland, WA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Greeley. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Kennewick-Richland, WA's 100.1.
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.