How expensive is living in Washington? It depends on the city.

Every year inflation takes a little bite out of my wallet. (And we all know how painful that can be.) But depending on what city you live in, in Washington state the bite is either bigger or possibly smaller. 

According to 247wallst.com,
‘While no one was spared from rising consumer prices, in relative terms, the overall cost of living varies considerably across the country. In Washington State, for example, goods and services were about 9.8% more expensive, on average, than they were nationwide in 2022 — the latest year of available data.’ 

However, that is just an average in some cities in Washington state the percentage is much higher and yes other cities in Washington state are lower. In the top 10, five of those cities are in Eastern Washington and for most of them the percentage of increase is lower. By the way, these are 2022 numbers that we're looking at. 

First off, this is a no brainer the most expensive city to live in in Washington state is Seattle. For 2022, the cost of living in Seattle was up 13.7%. That's higher than the national average. 

On the lower end of the list at number 10 is Yakima. For 2022 the cost of living in Yakima only rose by 1%. 

Comfortably at number 7 is Wenatchee, WA with a 2022 cost of living increase of 3.7%. 

For those of you in the Kennewick/Richland area you come in at number six with the 2022 cost of living increase of 4.4%. 

I realize that these numbers are over a year old, but it's still enlightening, and it does make me grateful that I'm not living in Seattle right now. (Or ever.) 

Prices in This Popular West Coast City Are 14% Higher Than the Rest of America - 24/7 Wall St. (247wallst.com)
The Most Expensive States To Live In - 24/7 Wall St. (247wallst.com)
BEA Interactive Data Application