Overall
95.5
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Yakima, WA
Cost-of-living indicators for Yakima, WA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 95.5
- Overall RPP
- #157
- of 387 metros
- 72.6
- Rents RPP
- $105K
- $100K national buys
Yakima ranks #157 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 2.5 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Albuquerque
The verdict
Yakima costs less than 41% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 95.5, 4.5% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 72.6.
- bottom 59%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 105.0
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 91.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $104,663 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $95,545.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Yakima's overall RPP fell -2.4 points, from 97.9 in 2023 to 95.5 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 81.3 to 91.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 2.5 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index jumped 3.4 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Yakima overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.0 |
| 2009 | 96.4 |
| 2010 | 95.6 |
| 2011 | 98.1 |
| 2012 | 97.1 |
| 2013 | 97.0 |
| 2014 | 96.8 |
| 2015 | 94.5 |
| 2016 | 94.4 |
| 2017 | 94.9 |
| 2018 | 97.2 |
| 2019 | 96.8 |
| 2020 | 96.2 |
| 2021 | 97.7 |
| 2022 | 100.8 |
| 2023 | 97.9 |
| 2024 | 95.5 |
Yakima vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
96 Top 41% higher than 59% 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
Yakima cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
72.6 RPP
- Services
Services
91.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
95.5 RPP
- Goods
Goods
105 RPP
What this shows Yakima's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 72.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 91.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Yakima's cost comes from
Metros near Yakima's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Yakima (Yakima, this metro): goods RPP 105, rents RPP 72.6
- Albuquerque: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 89.2
- Grand Rapids: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 86.6
- Grand Junction: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 86.4
- Salisbury: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 87.2
- Columbus: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 87.9
- Helena: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 90.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
105.0
Above avg
Services
91.9
Below avg
Rents
72.6
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Yakima's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Yakima: rents index at 72.6, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 95.5.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Greensboro-High Point, NC, Winston-Salem, NC, Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA. They resemble Yakima 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, Yakima's overall index has risen by 2.5 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$95,545
in Yakima, WA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,773
$75,000 nationally
$71,659
$125,000 nationally
$119,431
$150,000 nationally
$143,318
$200,000 nationally
$191,090
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
63/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
63rd 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.
WA-relative analysis
Rent prices places Yakima, WA near the bottom of WA's metros
Among the 11 WA metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Yakima, WA ranks #11 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Yakima, WA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 11
9th percentile in WA
Services prices
#9 of 11
18th percentile in WA
Rent prices
#11 of 11
0th 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 Yakima, 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 (95.5 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (72.6 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 →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Yakima'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.
Greensboro-High Point, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 89.1 · Rents 74.5 Winston-Salem, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 88.4 · Rents 71.4 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
Goods 96.8 · Services 88.1 · Rents 74.4 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 89.5 · Rents 70.6 Fayetteville, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 87.8 · Rents 73.1 Morgantown, WV
Goods 96.3 · Services 92.5 · Rents 69.1
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Yakima, WA's index of 95.5.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
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.
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
What this means for Yakima
How to read Yakima'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 $104,663 in Yakima. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 72.6, 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 Yakima 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 Yakima, WA?
Yakima, WA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 95.5, meaning it is 4.5% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 105.0, services at 91.9, and rents at 72.6. It ranks #157 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Yakima, WA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $95,545 in Yakima, WA. Conversely, $100K earned in Yakima, WA has the purchasing power of $104,663 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Yakima, WA?
Rents in Yakima, WA are indexed at 72.6, which is 27.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Yakima, WA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Yakima, WA's overall cost index changed by +2.5 points (from 93.0 to 95.5). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Yakima, WA?
The priciest category in Yakima, WA is goods at 105.0, 5.0% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 72.6, 27.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Yakima, WA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Albuquerque, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, Grand Junction. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Yakima, WA's 95.5.
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.