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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 2023.
So where is the most expensive place to live in Washington? That would be Lynnwood.
the 2017-2021 American Community Survey for the 118 places in Washington with more than 5,000 people.
Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Washington for 2023:
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 2023
1. Lynnwood
/10
Population: 38,812
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.3x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 47.0x (9th most expensive)
More on Lynnwood: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Lynnwood comes in at $67,576 and the median home value is $492,600 for 2023.
2. Bellingham
/10
Population: 90,545
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.4x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 48.4x (17th most expensive)
More on Bellingham: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bellingham comes in at $59,163 and the median home value is $440,300 for 2023.
3. Renton
/10
Population: 105,313
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.6x (25th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 48.7x (19th most expensive)
More on Renton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Renton comes in at $84,374 and the median home value is $474,700 for 2023.
4. Des Moines
/10
Population: 32,631
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 7)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.7x (22nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 47.4x (11th most expensive)
More on Des Moines: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Des Moines comes in at $73,131 and the median home value is $416,500 for 2023.
5. Seattle
/10
Population: 726,054
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.3x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 58.5x (66th most expensive)
More on Seattle: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Seattle comes in at $105,391 and the median home value is $767,500 for 2023.
6. Shoreline
/10
Population: 58,213
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.6x (10th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 55.3x (49th most expensive)
More on Shoreline: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Shoreline comes in at $95,623 and the median home value is $627,500 for 2023.
7. Pullman
/10
Population: 32,968
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 9.7x (most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 35.7x (most expensive)
More on Pullman: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Pullman comes in at $31,992 and the median home value is $310,800 for 2023.
8. Burien
/10
Population: 51,646
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.8x (2most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 51.7x (38th most expensive)
More on Burien: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Burien comes in at $79,797 and the median home value is $459,800 for 2023.
9. Bellevue
/10
Population: 149,365
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.8x (7th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 63.2x (84th most expensive)
More on Bellevue: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bellevue comes in at $140,252 and the median home value is $951,200 for 2023.
10. Kirkland
/10
Population: 91,656
Rank Last Year: 20 (Up 10)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.6x (9th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 60.9x (78th most expensive)
More on Kirkland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Kirkland comes in at $121,998 and the median home value is $805,600 for 2023.
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Evergreen State For 2023
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 2017-2021 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 118 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 2023
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
- Toppenish
- Othello
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 | 13.33 |
| 2 | Bellingham | 18.33 |
| 3 | Renton | 24.67 |
| 4 | Des Moines | 25.33 |
| 5 | Seattle | 26.67 |
| 6 | Shoreline | 26.67 |
| 7 | Pullman | 28.33 |
| 8 | Burien | 30.0 |
| 9 | Bellevue | 31.0 |
| 10 | Kirkland | 31.33 |
| 11 | Mukilteo | 32.0 |
| 12 | Mill Creek | 32.33 |
| 13 | Edmonds | 33.0 |
| 14 | Port Townsend | 33.17 |
| 15 | Mountlake Terrace | 33.33 |
| 16 | Issaquah | 33.67 |
| 17 | Woodinville | 33.67 |
| 18 | Everett | 34.0 |
| 19 | Tukwila | 36.0 |
| 20 | Kent | 36.33 |
| 21 | Normandy Park | 36.67 |
| 22 | Sequim | 37.0 |
| 23 | Gig Harbor | 37.0 |
| 24 | Sumner | 37.33 |
| 25 | Anacortes | 37.67 |
| 26 | Federal Way | 37.67 |
| 27 | Redmond | 38.0 |
| 28 | Newcastle | 38.0 |
| 29 | Mercer Island | 38.33 |
| 30 | Poulsbo | 38.67 |
| 31 | Oak Harbor | 39.33 |
| 32 | Bothell | 41.67 |
| 33 | Ellensburg | 42.0 |
| 34 | Cheney | 42.67 |
| 35 | Burlington | 43.0 |
| 36 | Vancouver | 43.33 |
| 37 | Seatac | 45.33 |
| 38 | North Bend | 45.33 |
| 39 | Port Orchard | 45.67 |
| 40 | Pacific | 47.0 |
| 41 | Lakewood | 47.33 |
| 42 | Bainbridge Island | 48.0 |
| 43 | Olympia | 49.0 |
| 44 | Snohomish | 49.33 |
| 45 | Lynden | 49.67 |
| 46 | Kenmore | 51.0 |
| 47 | Ocean Shores | 52.0 |
| 48 | Ridgefield | 52.0 |
| 49 | Puyallup | 52.33 |
| 50 | Brier | 52.67 |
| 51 | Monroe | 52.67 |
| 52 | Lake Forest Park | 53.0 |
| 53 | Fife | 53.0 |
| 54 | Mount Vernon | 53.33 |
| 55 | Tacoma | 53.33 |
| 56 | University Place | 53.67 |
| 57 | Auburn | 53.67 |
| 58 | Bremerton | 55.33 |
| 59 | Lake Stevens | 55.67 |
| 60 | Milton | 56.0 |
| 61 | Sammamish | 58.33 |
| 62 | Sultan | 60.33 |
| 63 | Dupont | 60.33 |
| 64 | Shelton | 62.33 |
| 65 | Walla Walla | 62.67 |
| 66 | Lacey | 62.67 |
| 67 | Marysville | 64.33 |
| 68 | Arlington | 65.17 |
| 69 | Port Angeles | 66.33 |
| 70 | Sedro-Woolley | 66.33 |
| 71 | Maple Valley | 66.33 |
| 72 | Edgewood | 68.33 |
| 73 | Tumwater | 68.67 |
| 74 | Snoqualmie | 69.0 |
| 75 | Covington | 69.67 |
| 76 | Centralia | 69.67 |
| 77 | Stanwood | 70.0 |
| 78 | Steilacoom | 70.33 |
| 79 | Wenatchee | 70.33 |
| 80 | Blaine | 70.33 |
| 81 | Orting | 71.0 |
| 82 | Ferndale | 71.0 |
| 83 | Longview | 71.67 |
| 84 | Selah | 72.0 |
| 85 | Fircrest | 74.67 |
| 86 | Bonney Lake | 77.0 |
| 87 | Camas | 77.0 |
| 88 | East Wenatchee | 77.67 |
| 89 | Kelso | 78.0 |
| 90 | Duvall | 79.67 |
| 91 | Chehalis | 79.67 |
| 92 | Spokane Valley | 79.83 |
| 93 | Sunnyside | 80.0 |
| 94 | Yelm | 81.0 |
| 95 | Airway Heights | 81.0 |
| 96 | Yakima | 82.33 |
| 97 | Aberdeen | 83.67 |
| 98 | College Place | 83.67 |
| 99 | Battle Ground | 84.67 |
| 100 | Washougal | 86.33 |
