Which Puget Sound city has 17th-highest cost of living in US? Hint: It starts with ‘T’
In Tacoma, many services and commodities fetch a pretty penny.
Recent data from a real-estate website Apartment List finds that Tacoma’s overall cost of living is 22% higher than the national average. The tool calculates the cost of living for the nation’s 100 largest cities in categories like housing, groceries and health care. If placed side by side with the other cities, Tacoma comes in at 17th for highest cost of living.
Apartment List’s tool can compare the cost of living between two cities. When compared to the average cost of service and utilities in the United States, Tacoma is pricier in nearly every category:
Overall cost of living: 22% higher
Housing: 36% higher
Health care: 27% higher
Groceries: 22% higher
Transportation: 18% higher
Miscellaneous goods and services: 17% higher
Utilities: Same as national average
The only other Washington city featured on the digital tool is Seattle. The Emerald City boasts the sixth-highest cost of living compared to the other cities, 52% higher overall. San Francisco has the greatest cost of living nationwide, 83% higher than the U.S. median, followed by New York City and Anaheim, California. Locations with the lowest cost of living include Topeka, Kansas, at 19% below the national average, and Mobile, Alabama.
Tacoma housing costs
Apartment List finds the most impactful expense across Pierce County is housing. Like most places, Tacoma’s median sale price has spiked since the start of the pandemic. Data from Redfin shows that the median price for all Tacoma homes was $351,350 in February 2020. Redfin’s most recent data from February 2023 has that price at $441,250. Average home prices peaked in summer of 2022, at just over $500,000, but sale prices experienced a decline the rest of the year. Since January, prices have been gradually increasing, according to Redfin’s metrics.
Tacoma’s average monthly apartment rent has also risen. The most recent data from website RentHub shows that average apartment prices have risen by hundreds of dollars over the past three years. In February 2020, the median price was below $1,500. In 2023, it’s closer to $1,800.
Housing prices represent the most polarizing cost nationwide. Homes in Mobile, Alabama, are 42% below the national average, while in New York City, they are 210% higher.
This story was originally published March 23, 2023 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Which Puget Sound city has 17th-highest cost of living in US? Hint: It starts with ‘T’."
