Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of America.
It has a territory that borders the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Idaho, and the Canadian province of British Columbia.
This spectacular state is in 18th place by size and in 13th place by population across the territory of the United States.
Many people usually confuse Washington State with Washington DC.
This Evergreen State, as we said, is located in the amazing Pacific Northwest.
Did you know that this state has a name after George Washington, the first president in the United States?
Here is another curious thing about this state.
In Washington are located two of the most known volcanoes in the world, Mt Rainer and Mount St Helens.
Also, in this state are the most creative companies on the Internet, such as Amazon, Classmates, Whitepages, and Digital Properties.
After we have one view about the state of Washington, are you glad to know about the actual cost of living here?
If yes, keep reading the post, and you can find everything you need about the prices here and which cities in Washington are the top five most expensive cities for living here.
Contents
The Cost of Living in This State
Definitely yes- the cost of living in Washington is generally affordable.
But this yet depends on which city we are talking about here.
For instance, Seattle, Spokane, or Takoma have pretty expensive living costs.
Other cities, like, Bothell and Auburn, have fair prices.
That makes them quite low costed cities.
Housing Costs
Housing prices are usually the first expense in your budget when you consider moving to a new state.
We have to say that these prices not only vary remarkably by location, but they can also change drastically over time.
Here is a list of the regular prices for rent in the most populated cities in this state.
The regular price for a one bedroom apartment is the most expensive in Seattle – $1,800, in Vancouver – $1,400, in Tacoma – $1,300 and in Spokane – $1,100.
Well, as you can see, these prices are not so competitive.
Besides, if you keep in mind that these prices are only for a one-bedroom apartment, absolutely they are not cheap.
Generally, the rent price per two-bedroom apartment is around $1,900 to $2,200.
Transportation Costs
Additionally is hard to say that there is a very well-organized transportation plan.
Contrarily – it has an extensive public transportation system worked by multiple agencies.
But if you rely on public transportation, you might save pretty much money.
For example, a one-way ticket here is around $3, and a monthly pass is $100 per month.
Those prices for a state like Washington are not so much fancy.
Utility Costs
The prices for utility costs like electricity, gas, and water are the basic expenses in our everyday lives.
However, it is very relevant to know the utility expenses when living in this state.
It clearly depends on the apartment’s proportions, the age of your machines, in which period of the year, and more.
But in short – the usual American individual living here pays around $250 per month for the standard utilities mentioned above.
This price is even higher in some cities like Seattle or Spokane.
Food Costs
Washington is known for delicious food and tasty fresh cocktails.
You can find modern restaurants with vegan and healthy meals in every corner of this state.
Do not forget the supermarkets – there are always fresh fruits and vegetables.
Moreover, there it follows in this state, the food prices are incredibly high.
If you want to hold some money in your monthly budget, you better spend some time at home atmosphere making homemade dinners.
Besides, here is what are the approximate expenses in restaurants.
For a three-course meal in this beautiful state, you should expect to pay from the cheaper option $65 to the most expensive – $100.
One beer in a local pub is roughly $4.30, while a cappuccino or coffee to go is from $2.10 up.
Healthcare Costs
Healthcare is the key to a healthy life.
The regular citizen in Washington pays around $2.300 on healthcare services per year.
That price can go even higher for a family of four people.
The Most Expensive Cities in Washington
Seattle
As we said before, Washington is home to the most popular Internet companies, so in Seattle are the most famous industry such as Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, and Nordstrom.
This city is one of the most populated cities, with a location in the Pacific Northwest region of Washington.
The most recognized thing about this city is that it is one of the most educated cities – with more than 60% of citizens having graduated college.
But, let’s have a deeper look at the cost of living in this fabulous city.
The living cost is almost 50% above the national standards.
The main thing here which causes that high cost of living is absolutely the house prices.
For instance, the usual home price is $700,000, while the rent price is more than $2,000 per month.
As for utility expenses – they are 25$ above the national norms.
So are transportation costs.
A one-way ticket for local transport in Seattle will cost you more than 3.50$, while a monthly ticket – 94$.
Spokane
Spokane is the second most expensive city for living in Washington.
The housing prices are much lower than in Seattle, but still have the high price for Washington.
As so, the standard home price in Spokane is $500,000 up, and the monthly rent price is $1.100 up.
In this city, there are so many cool things to visit.
But, for an extravagant price.
For example, one visit to the Riblet Mansion and Arbor Crest Winery could cost you $30, and the entrance for Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox is from $15 up.
Other prices, like utility and transportation – are identically the same as in the previously mentioned city Seattle.
Tacoma
In this city, food prices are also much higher than in other cities around the territory of Washington.
For example, a loaf of white bread is 4.50$, one gallon of milk – 3.40$, a carton of eggs( regular 12) – 4.10$, and a branch of bananas – $4.30$.
Or in other words – in Tacoma, the cost of living is slightly 8% higher than the national standard of living cost.
Vancouver
Vancouver is, besides its beauties, one of the most expensive cities in this state.
With a location near Oregon-Washingon, the cost of living is highly upscale.
Healthcare services in Vancouver are around 10% higher than the standard prices.
And so are housing expenses and utility costs.
Olympia
There is no surprise that Olympia ranks as one of the fanciest cities across the territory of Washington.
This city has easy access to nature but high expenses for everything else doing in the city.
As an example, the regular home price in Olympia is from $390,00 up.
Moreover, the food prices are 5.5% higher than the standard food prices.
Due to that, Olympia is in the top five list of the most expensive cities in Washington State.
Washington Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Washington Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Additional Resources
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Cost of Living in Oregon Cities: These Are the Top 5
Cost of Living in Virginia Cities: These Are the Top 5
