The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Washington For 2024


The most expensive cities in Washington are Mercer Island and Sammamish for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Before you decide to relocate to Washington, it’s important to research the exact cost of living around the state. And that’s what we’re going to help you do.

These are the places in Washington that cost a pretty penny — the most expensive cities in the state.

We used Saturday Night Science to compare the 2018-2022 American Community Survey on cost of living for the 119 places in Washington with more than 5,000 people.

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 2024.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Washington For 2024

  1. Mercer Island
  2. Sammamish
  3. Bellevue
  4. Newcastle
  5. Bainbridge Island
  6. Redmond
  7. Snoqualmie
  8. Kirkland
  9. Seattle
  10. Issaquah

What’s the most expensive place to live in Washington? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that Mercer Island is the most expensive place to live in Washington.

Toppenish (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 2024

Mercer Island, WA

Source: Flickr User rutlo | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 25,464
Cost Of Living Index: 216
Median Income: $190,985
Average Home Price: $2,093,811
Home Price To Income Ratio: 11.0x
More on Mercer Island: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Mercer Island is 216. The median income in Mercer Island comes in at $190,985 and the average home value is $2,093,811 for 2024.

Sammamish, WA

Source: Wikipedia User Emmanuel BRUNNER | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 66,586
Cost Of Living Index: 179
Median Income: $215,047
Average Home Price: $1,457,780
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.8x
More on Sammamish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Sammamish is 179. The median income in Sammamish comes in at $215,047 and the average home value is $1,457,780 for 2024.

Bellevue, WA

Source: Wikipedia User Jelson25 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 150,606
Cost Of Living Index: 175
Median Income: $149,551
Average Home Price: $1,314,283
Home Price To Income Ratio: 8.8x
More on Bellevue: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Bellevue is 175. The median income in Bellevue comes in at $149,551 and the average home value is $1,314,283 for 2024.

Newcastle, WA

Source: Wikipedia User Japs 88 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 12,931
Cost Of Living Index: 166
Median Income: $151,007
Average Home Price: $1,200,663
Home Price To Income Ratio: 8.0x
More on Newcastle: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Newcastle is 166. The median income in Newcastle comes in at $151,007 and the average home value is $1,200,663 for 2024.

Bainbridge Island, WA

Source: Wikipedia User Casey Yee | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 24,681
Cost Of Living Index: 165
Median Income: $151,290
Average Home Price: $1,164,814
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.7x
More on Bainbridge Island: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Bainbridge Island is 165. The median income in Bainbridge Island comes in at $151,290 and the average home value is $1,164,814 for 2024.

Redmond, WA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 73,728
Cost Of Living Index: 164
Median Income: $155,287
Average Home Price: $1,239,503
Home Price To Income Ratio: 8.0x
More on Redmond: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Redmond is 164. The median income in Redmond comes in at $155,287 and the average home value is $1,239,503 for 2024.

Snoqualmie, WA

Source: Wikipedia User Max Richards | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,762
Cost Of Living Index: 159
Median Income: $186,353
Average Home Price: $994,921
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.3x
More on Snoqualmie: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Snoqualmie is 159. The median income in Snoqualmie comes in at $186,353 and the average home value is $994,921 for 2024.

Kirkland, WA

Source: Wikipedia User Jelson25 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 92,015
Cost Of Living Index: 158
Median Income: $135,608
Average Home Price: $1,101,852
Home Price To Income Ratio: 8.1x
More on Kirkland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Kirkland is 158. The median income in Kirkland comes in at $135,608 and the average home value is $1,101,852 for 2024.

Seattle, WA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 734,603
Cost Of Living Index: 156
Median Income: $116,068
Average Home Price: $827,235
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.1x
More on Seattle: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Seattle is 156. The median income in Seattle comes in at $116,068 and the average home value is $827,235 for 2024.

Issaquah, WA

Source: Wikipedia User Joe Mabel | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 39,400
Cost Of Living Index: 155
Median Income: $143,006
Average Home Price: $1,042,395
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.3x
More on Issaquah: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The overall cost of living in Issaquah is 155. The median income in Issaquah comes in at $143,006 and the average home value is $1,042,395 for 2024.

Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Evergreen State For 2024

Map Of The Cheapest Places To Live In Washington
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford a city in Washington are:

  1. How much money do I make?
  2. How much do I have to 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 2018-2022 around incomes and costs. They are:

  • Overall Cost Of Living Index
  • Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
  • Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
  • Median Home Price

You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Washington to figure out which is the most expensive.

You are left with 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 to rank all of the 119 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 Mercer Island. We updated this article for 2024. This article is our tenth time ranking the most expensive places to live in Washington.

Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Washington For 2024

Well, there you have it, the places in Washington that have the highest cost of living, with Mercer Island ranking as the most expensive city in the Evergreen State.

The most expensive cities in Washington are Mercer Island, Sammamish, Bellevue, Newcastle, Bainbridge Island, Redmond, Snoqualmie, Kirkland, Seattle, and Issaquah.

Here’s a look at the most affordable cities in Washington according to the data:

  1. Toppenish
  2. Grandview
  3. Prosser

For more Washington reading, check out:

Most Expensive Cities In Washington

Rank City Cost Of Living Population Median Income Average Home Price Home/Income Ratio
1 Mercer Island 216 25,464 $190,985 $2,093,811 11.0x
2 Sammamish 179 66,586 $215,047 $1,457,780 6.8x
3 Bellevue 175 150,606 $149,551 $1,314,283 8.8x
4 Newcastle 166 12,931 $151,007 $1,200,663 8.0x
5 Bainbridge Island 165 24,681 $151,290 $1,164,814 7.7x
6 Redmond 164 73,728 $155,287 $1,239,503 8.0x
7 Snoqualmie 159 13,762 $186,353 $994,921 5.3x
8 Kirkland 158 92,015 $135,608 $1,101,852 8.1x
9 Seattle 156 734,603 $116,068 $827,235 7.1x
10 Issaquah 155 39,400 $143,006 $1,042,395 7.3x
11 Mukilteo 155 21,365 $123,036 $867,388 7.0x
12 Woodinville 155 13,301 $142,500 $1,223,130 8.6x
13 Lake Forest Park 154 13,462 $152,010 $942,509 6.2x
14 Mill Creek 151 20,797 $118,276 $915,277 7.7x
15 Normandy Park 150 6,697 $122,467 $960,307 7.8x
16 Duvall 149 8,128 $168,663 $899,922 5.3x
17 Edmonds 147 42,705 $110,057 $846,640 7.7x
18 Kenmore 147 23,611 $132,191 $940,684 7.1x
19 North Bend 146 7,549 $171,078 $908,488 5.3x
20 Brier 144 6,539 $141,200 $907,268 6.4x
21 Bothell 143 47,917 $127,944 $954,899 7.5x
22 Shoreline 141 58,673 $106,184 $761,022 7.2x
23 Renton 134 105,355 $92,292 $700,607 7.6x
24 Maple Valley 134 27,889 $137,595 $750,316 5.5x
25 Lake Stevens 133 38,816 $111,821 $656,462 5.9x
26 Gig Harbor 133 11,917 $103,688 $758,110 7.3x
27 Lynnwood 132 39,867 $72,241 $722,260 10.0x
28 Mountlake Terrace 131 21,350 $96,104 $634,570 6.6x
29 Snohomish 131 10,133 $81,731 $872,921 10.7x
30 Burien 130 51,505 $84,583 $605,886 7.2x
31 Covington 130 20,814 $123,065 $614,981 5.0x
32 Monroe 130 19,632 $99,713 $660,014 6.6x
33 Edgewood 130 12,397 $115,325 $673,664 5.8x
34 DuPont 130 9,955 $106,695 $564,984 5.3x
35 Port Orchard 128 15,820 $82,650 $506,119 6.1x
36 Poulsbo 128 11,824 $89,393 $619,283 6.9x
37 Bonney Lake 126 22,590 $123,462 $637,988 5.2x
38 Black Diamond 126 5,314 $134,076 $730,492 5.4x
39 University Place 125 34,696 $89,658 $621,099 6.9x
40 SeaTac 125 30,927 $79,433 $538,091 6.8x
41 Camas 125 26,387 $133,829 $713,685 5.3x
42 Ridgefield 125 11,486 $107,308 $645,057 6.0x
43 Sultan 125 5,462 $79,084 $523,936 6.6x
44 Everett 124 110,847 $77,806 $618,504 7.9x
45 Anacortes 124 17,667 $86,911 $694,105 8.0x
46 Steilacoom 124 6,680 $94,708 $592,049 6.3x
47 Puyallup 123 42,610 $90,592 $540,014 6.0x
48 Port Townsend 123 10,161 $59,193 $616,806 10.4x
49 Fircrest 123 7,098 $99,032 $587,271 5.9x
50 Federal Way 122 99,614 $80,360 $558,348 6.9x
51 Des Moines 122 32,667 $81,362 $564,875 6.9x
52 Lynden 122 15,723 $86,175 $574,354 6.7x
53 Blaine 122 5,865 $78,633 $511,525 6.5x
54 Kent 120 135,169 $86,966 $603,965 6.9x
55 Bellingham 120 91,353 $64,026 $630,615 9.8x
56 Fife 120 10,887 $84,538 $530,444 6.3x
57 Sumner 119 10,589 $83,285 $540,052 6.5x
58 Bremerton 118 43,983 $68,556 $451,154 6.6x
59 Arlington 118 20,263 $89,587 $601,820 6.7x
60 Orting 118 8,898 $114,458 $531,870 4.6x
61 Milton 118 8,543 $90,372 $535,284 5.9x
62 Auburn 117 85,623 $87,406 $570,116 6.5x
63 Enumclaw 117 12,630 $110,789 $605,326 5.5x
64 Buckley 117 5,191 $120,707 $594,115 4.9x
65 Oak Harbor 116 24,458 $68,039 $484,194 7.1x
66 Washougal 116 16,828 $97,295 $584,262 6.0x
67 Ferndale 116 15,130 $82,466 $582,368 7.1x
68 Stanwood 116 8,051 $85,357 $657,147 7.7x
69 Marysville 115 70,847 $98,288 $570,905 5.8x
70 Pacific 115 7,097 $98,148 $521,184 5.3x
71 Lakewood 114 63,142 $65,531 $476,344 7.3x
72 Tumwater 114 25,617 $84,177 $479,190 5.7x
73 Tacoma 113 219,234 $79,085 $463,801 5.9x
74 Vancouver 113 190,700 $73,626 $487,468 6.6x
75 Lacey 113 56,263 $79,874 $469,149 5.9x
76 Olympia 113 55,151 $73,851 $506,104 6.9x
77 Mount Vernon 112 35,120 $69,227 $538,340 7.8x
78 Liberty Lake 112 12,026 $101,936 $558,815 5.5x
79 Sedro-Woolley 110 12,470 $72,281 $438,316 6.1x
80 Yelm 110 10,438 $88,818 $449,840 5.1x
81 Sequim 110 8,073 $48,015 $554,317 11.5x
82 Battle Ground 109 20,888 $94,360 $574,680 6.1x
83 Woodland 109 6,463 $78,870 $547,514 6.9x
84 Port Angeles 108 20,007 $60,212 $428,897 7.1x
85 Burlington 108 9,361 $68,737 $494,110 7.2x
86 Ocean Shores 107 6,838 $54,435 $354,909 6.5x
87 Pullman 106 31,972 $41,479 $421,064 10.2x
88 Chehalis 106 7,512 $61,378 $456,110 7.4x
89 Richland 104 60,867 $89,283 $450,032 5.0x
90 Wenatchee 104 35,365 $66,143 $460,521 7.0x
91 Ellensburg 104 19,003 $53,730 $453,476 8.4x
92 East Wenatchee 104 14,065 $78,312 $473,254 6.0x
93 Centralia 103 18,234 $50,422 $370,647 7.4x
94 Longview 102 37,722 $57,920 $368,668 6.4x
95 West Richland 102 16,547 $118,093 $484,391 4.1x
96 Shelton 101 10,484 $57,907 $406,252 7.0x
97 Selah 101 8,203 $66,843 $411,893 6.2x
98 Spokane Valley 100 103,761 $66,483 $390,629 5.9x
99 Aberdeen 100 16,969 $50,008 $260,991 5.2x
100 Cheney 100 12,848 $45,419 $410,663 9.0x
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.