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Everyone wants a home that mixes affordability with comfort and Washington does this very well. Families love the Evergreen State's beaches, midlands, and mountains as tourists before moving here and calling it home.
But before you decide to relocate, you have to do some research into the exact cost of living around the state -- and that's how we're going to help you.
These are the places in Washington that cost a pretty penny -- the most expensive cities in the state.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Washington for 2022.
So where is the most expensive place to live in Washington? That would be Lynnwood.
the 2016-2020 American Community Survey for the 120 places in Washington with more than 5,000 people.
Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Washington for 2022:
What's the most expensive place to live in Washington? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that Lynnwood is the most expensive place to live in Washington.
So hopefully Ephrata (the cheapest place to live in Washington) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.
And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out some more reading about Washington and the most expensive cities in the country:
The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Washington For 2022
1. Lynnwood
/10
Population: 38,538
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.0x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 46.6x (10th most expensive)
More on Lynnwood: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Lynnwood comes in at $62,926 and the median home value is $443,100 for 2022.
2. Bellingham
/10
Population: 90,821
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.2x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 49.6x (22nd most expensive)
More on Bellingham: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bellingham comes in at $56,198 and the median home value is $405,700 for 2022.
3. Renton
/10
Population: 101,871
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 6)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.5x (24th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 49.5x (19th most expensive)
More on Renton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Renton comes in at $79,824 and the median home value is $442,600 for 2022.
4. Seattle
/10
Population: 741,251
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.3x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 57.1x (62nd most expensive)
More on Seattle: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Seattle comes in at $97,185 and the median home value is $713,600 for 2022.
5. Pullman
/10
Population: 33,974
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 9.0x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 37.5x (most expensive)
More on Pullman: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Pullman comes in at $32,073 and the median home value is $287,700 for 2022.
6. Mukilteo
/10
Population: 21,414
Rank Last Year: 28 (Up 22)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.1x (13th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 56.0x (54th most expensive)
More on Mukilteo: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Mukilteo comes in at $102,903 and the median home value is $624,900 for 2022.
7. Burien
/10
Population: 51,588
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.9x (18th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 52.2x (36th most expensive)
More on Burien: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Burien comes in at $71,233 and the median home value is $419,500 for 2022.
8. Shoreline
/10
Population: 56,835
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.4x (10th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 56.0x (56th most expensive)
More on Shoreline: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Shoreline comes in at $91,524 and the median home value is $582,000 for 2022.
9. Mountlake Terrace
/10
Population: 21,328
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 5)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.3x (33rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 50.6x (27th most expensive)
More on Mountlake Terrace: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Mountlake Terrace comes in at $80,738 and the median home value is $424,700 for 2022.
10. Bellevue
/10
Population: 146,145
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.9x (6th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 61.5x (86th most expensive)
More on Bellevue: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bellevue comes in at $129,497 and the median home value is $887,700 for 2022.
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Evergreen State For 2022
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:
- How much do money do I make?
- How much do I have spend to live there?
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it's actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2016-2020 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Washington to figure out which is the most expensive.
What you are left with is a "Cost of Living Index" by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 120 places in Washington that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Washington according to the data is Lynnwood. You can download the data here.
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Washington For 2022
Well there you have it, the places in Washington that have the highest cost of living, with Lynnwood ranking as the most expensive city in the Evergreen State.
Here's a look at the most affordable cities in Washington according to the data:
- Ephrata
- Connell
- Quincy
For more Washington reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Washington
- Cheapest Places To Live In Washington
- Most Dangerous Cities In Washington
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Washington
- Safest Places In Washington
- Worst Places To Live In Washington
Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Washington
| Rank | City | ExpensiveScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lynnwood | 14.0 |
| 2 | Bellingham | 19.67 |
| 3 | Renton | 23.67 |
| 4 | Seattle | 24.33 |
| 5 | Pullman | 26.67 |
| 6 | Mukilteo | 27.33 |
| 7 | Burien | 28.33 |
| 8 | Shoreline | 29.0 |
| 9 | Mountlake Terrace | 30.0 |
| 10 | Bellevue | 31.33 |
| 11 | Des Moines | 31.67 |
| 12 | Poulsbo | 32.33 |
| 13 | Everett | 32.67 |
| 14 | Federal Way | 33.0 |
| 15 | Kent | 33.67 |
| 16 | Woodinville | 34.0 |
| 17 | Gig Harbor | 34.0 |
| 18 | Mercer Island | 34.67 |
| 19 | Normandy Park | 34.67 |
| 20 | Kirkland | 35.33 |
| 21 | Issaquah | 35.33 |
| 22 | Mill Creek | 36.0 |
| 23 | Edmonds | 36.33 |
| 24 | Sumner | 37.0 |
| 25 | Port Townsend | 37.33 |
| 26 | Anacortes | 38.0 |
| 27 | Sequim | 38.0 |
| 28 | Seatac | 38.33 |
| 29 | Redmond | 38.67 |
| 30 | Oak Harbor | 39.0 |
| 31 | Ellensburg | 40.33 |
| 32 | Lakewood | 40.67 |
| 33 | Bothell | 40.67 |
| 34 | Tukwila | 41.33 |
| 35 | Ridgefield | 42.33 |
| 36 | Vancouver | 42.67 |
| 37 | Bainbridge Island | 43.33 |
| 38 | Ocean Shores | 43.67 |
| 39 | Olympia | 45.67 |
| 40 | Port Orchard | 45.67 |
| 41 | Pacific | 46.0 |
| 42 | Cheney | 46.67 |
| 43 | Lynden | 47.33 |
| 44 | Burlington | 50.0 |
| 45 | Snohomish | 50.67 |
| 46 | Monroe | 51.33 |
| 47 | Brier | 52.0 |
| 48 | Tacoma | 52.0 |
| 49 | Kenmore | 54.33 |
| 50 | North Bend | 55.0 |
| 51 | Arlington | 55.67 |
| 52 | Newcastle | 56.0 |
| 53 | Stanwood | 56.0 |
| 54 | Port Angeles | 56.0 |
| 55 | Sammamish | 56.0 |
| 56 | Puyallup | 57.33 |
| 57 | Fife | 57.67 |
| 58 | Lacey | 58.0 |
| 59 | Lake Stevens | 58.0 |
| 60 | University Place | 58.33 |
| 61 | Milton | 58.67 |
| 62 | Bremerton | 58.67 |
| 63 | Lake Forest Park | 59.0 |
| 64 | Auburn | 59.33 |
| 65 | Dupont | 61.0 |
| 66 | Ferndale | 61.0 |
| 67 | Marysville | 63.0 |
| 68 | Chehalis | 63.67 |
| 69 | Maple Valley | 64.33 |
| 70 | Sedro-Woolley | 64.67 |
| 71 | Steilacoom | 65.33 |
| 72 | Shelton | 65.33 |
| 73 | Centralia | 66.33 |
| 74 | Mount Vernon | 66.67 |
| 75 | Selah | 67.67 |
| 76 | Snoqualmie | 67.67 |
| 77 | Covington | 68.33 |
| 78 | Sultan | 70.0 |
| 79 | Longview | 70.33 |
| 80 | Fircrest | 70.67 |
| 81 | Edgewood | 71.33 |
| 82 | Orting | 72.0 |
| 83 | Wenatchee | 72.33 |
| 84 | Walla Walla | 73.67 |
| 85 | Blaine | 74.33 |
| 86 | Bonney Lake | 74.33 |
| 87 | Tumwater | 76.67 |
| 88 | Duvall | 76.67 |
| 89 | Camas | 77.0 |
| 90 | Enumclaw | 77.0 |
| 91 | Clarkston | 77.33 |
| 92 | East Wenatchee | 77.67 |
| 93 | College Place | 78.83 |
| 94 | Kelso | 79.67 |
| 95 | Spokane Valley | 82.33 |
| 96 | Washougal | 82.33 |
| 97 | Yelm | 82.67 |
| 98 | Yakima | 83.33 |
| 99 | Battle Ground | 84.67 |
| 100 | Spokane | 85.5 |
