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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
A 68-point spread tells the whole story in Washington: Spokane at index 101 vs. And generally speaking, bellevue at 169. The difference translates to roughly $1,126/month in rent alone ($1,456 vs. $2,582). Which side of that divide you land on shapes your entire budget. Full 8-city ranking below.
#1 Ranked: Spokane — cost index 101, rent $1,456/mo, income $65,745
$1,126/mo rent gap across the ranking
4 of 8 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
A 68-point spread tells the whole story in Washington: Spokane at index 101 vs. And generally speaking, bellevue at 169. The difference translates to roughly $1,126/month in rent alone ($1,456 vs. $2,582). Which side of that divide you land on shapes your entire budget. Full 8-city ranking below.
Dive into Spokane's numbers: cost index 101 — we had to double-check this one — (11 points below national average), rent $1,456/month, income $65,745, and a home price of $389,884. And broadly, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 93, while Healthcare runs 104. With 229,447 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
Rent ranges from $1,456/mo in Spokane to $2,582/mo in Bellevue — a monthly difference of $1,126, or $13,512 per year.
Spokane (index 101) and Bellevue (index 169) sit 68 points apart on the cost index — proof that Washington is far from monolithic in affordability.
229,447 residents · Washington
Spokane earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 101 cost index sits 11 points below the national baseline, and the $65,745 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $389,884 — $77,486 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 93, while Healthcare trails at 104. One to watch.
108,235 residents · Washington
So, Spokane Valley. Cost index of 103 — for better or worse — , rent at $1,509/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $70,722, which is below the national median. It's fine. Not great, not bad.
222,906 residents · Washington
Why Tacoma ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 110 on the cost index, residents save roughly 2% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,755/month while the median household pulls in $83,857/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 102, though Housing (126) lags behind. Home prices average $486,501 — $19,131 above the national median.
196,442 residents · Washington
What does daily life actually cost in Vancouver? Start with the 27% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Utilities (index 102) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 128) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $78,156 and homes at $502,813 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
133,378 residents · Washington
Why Kent ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 121 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 9% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,943/month while the median household pulls in $90,416/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 111, though Housing (152) lags behind. Home prices average $646,049 — $178,679 above the national median (that's pre-tax, of course).
Spokane ranks #1 in Washington for this analysis with a cost index of 101 and median income of $65,745.
Spokane, WA has the lowest healthcare index at 104, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Spokane (ranked #1) has a cost index of 101 and rent of $1,456/mo, while Bellevue (ranked #8) has a cost index of 169 and rent of $2,582/mo — a 68-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Spokane is $1,456/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $439 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Spokane is $389,884, which is 5.9× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Washington has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 10.6%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.84%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.