Cost of living in Olympia 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 Olympia 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 Olympia is 115, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Olympia is 1.1x higher than the national average.
Olympia ranks as the #64 cheapest in Washington out of 192.
Olympia ranks as the #4,492 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Olympia is $355,100.
The median income in Olympia is $67,975.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Olympia has an overall cost of living index of 115, which is 1.1x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Washington, Olympia has a cost of living index that's 1.0x lower than Washington's index of 115.
The standard of living in Olympia ranks as #64 most affordable out of the 192 places we measured in Washington. By definition, that implies Olympia ranks as the #128 most expensive place in the Evergreen State.
For more reading on life in Olympia, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Olympia. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Olympia is 109.
The Groceries index in Olympia is 119.
The Health index in Olympia is 124.
The Housing index in Olympia is 126.
The Transportation index in Olympia is 132.
The Utilities index in Olympia is 93.
Living Expense | Olympia | Washington | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 115 | 115 | 100 | |
Services | 109 | 112 | 100 | |
Groceries | 119 | 109 | 100 | |
Health | 124 | 119 | 100 | |
Housing | 126 | 129 | 100 | |
Transportation | 132 | 116 | 100 | |
Utilities | 93 | 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 Olympia is $355,100.
The Median Rent in Olympia is $1,290.
The Median Income in Olympia is $67,975.
The Home Value To Income in Olympia is 5.2x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Olympia is 0.23x.
Statistic | Olympia | Washington | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $355,100 | $397,600 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,290 | $1,439 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $67,975 | $82,400 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 5.2x | 4.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.23x | 0.21x | 0.2x |
Item | Olympia | Washington |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.28 | $1.06 |
Movie | $10.77 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $14.67 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $23.8 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $36.61 | $39.05 |
Item | Olympia | Washington |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $5.43 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.59 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.35 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.17 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $12.99 | $10.62 |
Beer | $10.22 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.79 | $2.34 |
Item | Olympia | Washington |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $196.22 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $133.79 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $131.09 | $99.13 |
Item | Olympia | Washington |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.92 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $68.92 | $50.07 |
Item | Olympia | Washington |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $135.4 | $167.67 |
Phone | $198.87 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Olympia. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Lakewood, WA has a cost of living index of 115, 1.0x Olympia.
Lacey, WA has a cost of living index of 116, 1.0x Olympia.
Tumwater, WA has a cost of living index of 114, 1.0x Olympia.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Olympia |
---|---|---|---|
Lakewood, WA | 62,972 | 115 | 1.0x |
Lacey, WA | 52,572 | 116 | 1.0x |
Tumwater, WA | 24,855 | 114 | 1.0x |
Fort Lewis, WA | 12,773 | 127 | 1.1x |
Shelton, WA | 10,288 | 104 | 0.9x |
Yelm, WA | 10,205 | 113 | 1.0x |
DuPont, WA | 9,974 | 133 | 1.2x |
Tanglewilde, WA | 7,068 | 109 | 0.9x |
Steilacoom, WA | 6,673 | 122 | 1.1x |