Spokane Cost of Living

What living in Spokane costs

At 0.96x national costs, Spokane is more expensive than 33 and cheaper than 61 of the 99 other metros here. In practical terms that is $1,050 a month for a one-bedroom and roughly $400,000 to buy.

The price-to-rent ratio here is roughly 32, which is high. Above about 20, renting and investing the down payment usually beats buying over a normal holding period — the purchase price is steep relative to what the same property earns as a rental.

Working and living here

Spokane is a metro of roughly 0.6M and growing steadily, running on healthcare, manufacturing, education. Larger employers include Providence Health Care, MultiCare, Fairchild Air Force Base.

Washington levies no state income tax and Spokane adds no local one, so the only income tax withheld here is federal. That is worth several thousand dollars a year against a comparable salary in a taxing state — though property and sales taxes in no-income-tax states tend to run above average, so the advantage narrows once you buy.

Getting around: Spokane is effectively car-dependent. Budget for a car — around $9,000 a year all-in once insurance, fuel, maintenance and parking are counted, a cost the index assumes but does not itemise.

Climate: Inland Northwest climate with cold winters near 24°F lows and snow, and warm dry summers with July highs near 85°F.

No Washington state income tax while offering housing costs roughly half those of Seattle, making it a common relocation destination for Western Washington residents.