State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Washington
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Washington from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 11 metro areas.
- 107.0
- Statewide RPP
- #6
- of 51 states by cost
- 126.0
- Rents RPP
- 11
- Metro areas
Washington ranks #6 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has risen 2.5 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- fell -1.4 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to New York
The verdict
Washington is more expensive than 88% of U.S. states, a statewide cost index of 107.0, 7.0% above the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 126.0
- New York
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.9 points away
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
- highest-cost metro, 111.1
- Yakima
- lowest-cost metro, 95.5
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $93,447 when earned in Washington.
Reading the Washington Cost of Living Picture
Washington's nearest statewide cost peers are New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey. Those names define the relevant comparison lane: the question is which premium is driven by housing, services, or goods, not whether the state clears the national benchmark. Rents and Services are 33.1 points apart, so the statewide average joins two materially different household experiences.
Washington captures 11 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA leads on cost at 111.1, while Yakima, WA sits at the opposite end at 95.5 - a gap of 15.6 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 104.4, for services 92.9, and for rents 126.0. Rents run 19.0 points above the statewide index here, so housing is carrying this state's cost position; the goods and services lines would place it noticeably cheaper on their own.
Over time, Washington's statewide index has climbed by 2.5 points, meaning the cost gap between this state and cheaper parts of the country has widened. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $93,447 of national buying power when earned inside Washington, and a household relocating here would need roughly $107,013 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. Because the premium is real and the state spans 11 reporting metros, the statewide number is the ceiling of a range — check the specific metro before accepting it as your cost.
Washington vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
107 Top 12% higher than 88% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Washington's overall RPP fell -1.4 points, from 108.4 in 2023 to 107.0 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 84.0 to 92.9. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
Metro areas in Washington, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 111.1 | 104.0 | 92.8 | 151.3 |
| 2 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard | 105.6 | 105.0 | 92.0 | 129.6 |
| 3 | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee | 103.9 | 105.0 | 100.6 | 115.0 |
| 4 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | 103.7 | 105.0 | 91.7 | 116.7 |
| 5 | Bellingham | 103.3 | 105.0 | 99.9 | 112.9 |
| 6 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes | 102.4 | 105.0 | 96.0 | 108.2 |
| 7 | Spokane-Spokane Valley | 100.3 | 105.0 | 91.2 | 97.1 |
| 8 | Kennewick-Richland | 100.1 | 105.0 | 93.6 | 94.8 |
| 9 | Walla Walla | 98.5 | 105.0 | 94.3 | 86.6 |
| 10 | Longview-Kelso | 97.5 | 105.0 | 98.5 | 82.5 |
| 11 | Yakima | 95.5 | 105.0 | 91.9 | 72.6 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Washington RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has risen 2.5 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 104.5 |
| 2009 | 104.6 |
| 2010 | 102.7 |
| 2011 | 103.2 |
| 2012 | 102.5 |
| 2013 | 102.5 |
| 2014 | 103.9 |
| 2015 | 104.4 |
| 2016 | 105.6 |
| 2017 | 107.0 |
| 2018 | 107.1 |
| 2019 | 108.0 |
| 2020 | 107.9 |
| 2021 | 108.8 |
| 2022 | 110.0 |
| 2023 | 108.4 |
| 2024 | 107.0 |
What this means in Washington
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Washington.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (111.1) and Yakima (95.5) sit 16 index points apart inside Washington. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 126.0 (26.0% above average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Washington against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Washington, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Washington: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (107.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (126.0 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Washington more expensive than the U.S. average?
Washington has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 107.0, meaning it is 7.0% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 104.4, services at 92.9, and rents at 126.0.
What salary in Washington equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $107,013 in Washington. Conversely, $100K earned in Washington has the purchasing power of $93,447 at the national average.
Is housing what makes Washington expensive?
Rents in Washington are indexed at 126.0, which is 26.0% above the national average. Housing costs are significantly higher than typical U.S. levels.
Which metros stretch Washington's cost range the widest?
The most expensive metro area in Washington is Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA with an RPP of 111.1. The most affordable is Yakima, WA at 95.5. There are 11 metro areas in Washington with BEA price data.
Has the cost of living in Washington been climbing?
From 2008 to 2024, Washington's overall cost index changed by +2.5 points (from 104.5 to 107.0). The cost of living has been trending upward.
Which categories pull Washington away from the national average?
The most expensive category in Washington is rents at 126.0, which is 26.0% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 92.9, 7.1% below average.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.