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Salary vs. Cost of Living in Washington

Compare take-home pay and living costs across 7 counties and 70 occupations in Washington.

Counties
7
WA, listed here
Occupations
70
with published wages
Median of medians
$60,345
per year, before tax
Population covered
5,188,404
residents in listed counties

Salary and cost of living across Washington

This page covers 7 Washington counties and 70 occupations with published wages. Across all of them the median of the median salaries is $60,345 a year. Each county links to its own list of jobs, with take-home pay and cost-of-living math for every one.

Housing is the biggest difference between places: a one-bedroom Fair Market Rent runs from $878 a month in Stevens County, WA to $2,180 in King County, WA. Among counties with at least 20 listed occupations, King County, WA has the highest median-of-medians pay at $61,825. King County, WA has the largest share of occupations (100%) whose take-home pay covers rent, food, energy and gasoline.

Counties in Washington, largest first

Showing 1–7 of 7.

Counties in Washington with pay and rent summaries
CountyPopulationJobs listedTypical median pay1-bedroom rentJobs covering basics
King County, WA2,287,17168$61,825$2,180/mo100%
Pierce County, WA930,31968$61,825$1,682/mo100%
Snohomish County, WA844,43068$61,825$2,180/mo100%
Spokane County, WA549,0564$42,145$1,173/mo100%
Clark County, WA516,95942$54,670$1,633/mo100%
Stevens County, WA48,0674$42,145$878/mo100%
Skamania County, WA12,40242$54,670$1,633/mo100%