Cost of living in Blaine research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Blaine is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Washington, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Blaine is 128, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Blaine is 1.3x higher than the national average.
Blaine ranks as the #80 cheapest in Washington out of 192.
Blaine ranks as the #4,889 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Blaine is $539,844.
The median income in Blaine is $81,559.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Blaine has an overall cost of living index of 128, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Washington, Blaine has a cost of living index that's 1.1x higher than Washington's index of 118.
The standard of living in Blaine ranks as #80 most affordable out of the 192 places we measured in Washington. By definition, that implies Blaine ranks as the #112 most expensive place in the Evergreen State.
For more reading on life in Blaine, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Blaine. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Blaine is 122.
The Groceries index in Blaine is 109.
The Health index in Blaine is 117.
The Housing index in Blaine is 160.
The Transportation index in Blaine is 123.
The Utilities index in Blaine is 92.
| Living Expense | Blaine | Washington | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 128 | 118 | 100 | |
| Services | 122 | 111 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 109 | 112 | 100 | |
| Health | 117 | 122 | 100 | |
| Housing | 160 | 135 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 123 | 124 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 92 | 91 | 100 | |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Washington, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2019-2023. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Blaine is $539,844.
The Median Rent in Blaine is $1,323.
The Median Income in Blaine is $81,559.
The Home Value To Income in Blaine is 6.6x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Blaine is 0.19x.
| Statistic | Blaine | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $539,844 | $595,737 | $303,400 |
| Median Rent | $1,323 | $1,682 | $1,348 |
| Median Income | $81,559 | $94,952 | $78,538 |
| Home Value To Income | 6.6x | 6.3x | 3.9x |
| Rent To Monthly Income | 0.19x | 0.21x | 0.21x |
| Item | Blaine | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | $1.21 | $1.28 |
| Movie | $14.34 | $12.13 |
| Bowling | $22.57 | $18 |
| Haircut | $28.08 | $24.26 |
| Beauty Salon | $51.55 | $45.56 |
| Item | Blaine | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Ground Beef | $6.04 | $5.84 |
| Fried Chicken | $2.19 | $1.57 |
| Milk | $4.95 | $4.67 |
| Potatoes | $4.4 | $4.93 |
| Pizza | $14.85 | $12.09 |
| Beer | $11.4 | $10.41 |
| Toothpaste | $4.05 | $3.7 |
| Item | Blaine | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Optometrist | $219.25 | $125.68 |
| Doctor | $165.08 | $135.78 |
| Dentist | $120.58 | $113.29 |
| Item | Blaine | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | $4.43 | $3.46 |
| Tire Balancing | $64.11 | $59.92 |
| Item | Blaine | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| All Electricity | $163.64 | $193.99 |
| Phone | $200.8 | $192.25 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Blaine. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Bellingham, WA has a cost of living index of 136, 1.1x Blaine.
Mount Vernon, WA has a cost of living index of 123, 1.0x Blaine.
Oak Harbor, WA has a cost of living index of 125, 1.0x Blaine.
| City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Blaine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham, WA | 92,367 | 136 | 1.1x |
| Mount Vernon, WA | 35,312 | 123 | 1.0x |
| Oak Harbor, WA | 24,396 | 125 | 1.0x |
| Anacortes, WA | 17,837 | 139 | 1.1x |
| Lynden, WA | 16,025 | 134 | 1.0x |
| Ferndale, WA | 15,447 | 130 | 1.0x |
| Sedro-Woolley, WA | 12,633 | 119 | 0.9x |
| Birch Bay, WA | 11,103 | 122 | 1.0x |
| Burlington, WA | 9,637 | 120 | 0.9x |
| Sudden Valley, WA | 6,963 | 136 | 1.1x |