Cost of living in Birch Bay research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Birch Bay is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Washington, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Birch Bay is 119, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Birch Bay is 1.2x higher than the national average.
Birch Bay ranks as the #83 cheapest in Washington out of 192.
Birch Bay ranks as the #4,736 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Birch Bay is $301,900.
The median income in Birch Bay is $65,729.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Birch Bay has an overall cost of living index of 119, which is 1.2x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Washington, Birch Bay has a cost of living index that's 1.0x higher than Washington's index of 115.
The standard of living in Birch Bay ranks as #83 most affordable out of the 192 places we measured in Washington. By definition, that implies Birch Bay ranks as the #109 most expensive place in the Evergreen State.
For more reading on life in Birch Bay, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Birch Bay. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Birch Bay is 123.
The Groceries index in Birch Bay is 110.
The Health index in Birch Bay is 117.
The Housing index in Birch Bay is 122.
The Transportation index in Birch Bay is 127.
The Utilities index in Birch Bay is 87.
Living Expense | Birch Bay | Washington | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 119 | 115 | 100 | |
Services | 123 | 112 | 100 | |
Groceries | 110 | 109 | 100 | |
Health | 117 | 119 | 100 | |
Housing | 122 | 129 | 100 | |
Transportation | 127 | 116 | 100 | |
Utilities | 87 | 90 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Washington, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Birch Bay is $301,900.
The Median Rent in Birch Bay is $1,184.
The Median Income in Birch Bay is $65,729.
The Home Value To Income in Birch Bay is 4.6x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Birch Bay is 0.22x.
Statistic | Birch Bay | Washington | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $301,900 | $397,600 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,184 | $1,439 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $65,729 | $82,400 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 4.6x | 4.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.22x | 0.21x | 0.2x |
Item | Birch Bay | Washington |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.27 | $1.06 |
Movie | $12.86 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $19.1 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $23.41 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $39.23 | $39.05 |
Item | Birch Bay | Washington |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $4.99 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.92 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.24 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.69 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $12.99 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.85 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $3.06 | $2.34 |
Item | Birch Bay | Washington |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $166.78 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $144.56 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $113.38 | $99.13 |
Item | Birch Bay | Washington |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.94 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $57.1 | $50.07 |
Item | Birch Bay | Washington |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $120.45 | $167.67 |
Phone | $192.71 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Birch Bay. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Bellingham, WA has a cost of living index of 123, 1.0x Birch Bay.
Mount Vernon, WA has a cost of living index of 111, 0.9x Birch Bay.
Oak Harbor, WA has a cost of living index of 116, 1.0x Birch Bay.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Birch Bay |
---|---|---|---|
Bellingham, WA | 90,545 | 123 | 1.0x |
Mount Vernon, WA | 34,824 | 111 | 0.9x |
Oak Harbor, WA | 24,267 | 116 | 1.0x |
Anacortes, WA | 17,437 | 128 | 1.1x |
Lynden, WA | 15,410 | 121 | 1.0x |
Ferndale, WA | 14,777 | 119 | 1.0x |
Sedro-Woolley, WA | 12,266 | 111 | 0.9x |
Burlington, WA | 9,220 | 110 | 0.9x |
Stanwood, WA | 7,776 | 117 | 1.0x |
Sudden Valley, WA | 7,251 | 126 | 1.1x |