Cost of Living in Walla Walla East, Washington

Published: September 17, 2020 9:07 pm

Cost of Living in Walla Walla East, Washington

Walla Walla East is a Census-designated place in Walla Walla County, Washington, with a population of 1,929. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Walla Walla East is $33,415 a year — less than the annual cost of living for Washington of $38,410 and less than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Walla Walla East and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Housing Costs in Walla Walla East, Washington

Housing is one of the largest components of cost of living. In Walla Walla East, the median home value is $258,600, greater than the national median home value of $204,900.

Renting is a sometimes lower cost alternative to homeownership. In Walla Walla East, some 7.90% of occupied homes are rented, less than the 36.2% national renter rate.

In addition to home value, one of the largest determinants of housing affordability is area income. While nationwide the price of a typical U.S. home is 3.4 times the $60,293 U.S. median household income, housing affordability ratios range from approximately 1.0 in the least expensive cities to more than 10.0 in the country's most expensive markets. In Walla Walla East, the median household income is $101,625, 2.5 times the median home value.

Transportation Costs in Walla Walla East, Washington

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Walla Walla East, 85.70% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 86.10% of workers commute to jobs outside of Walla Walla East, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Walla Walla East is 11.3 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Walla Walla East spends $10,446 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Walla Walla East, Washington

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are far lower than they are on average nationwide in Walla Walla East but in line with what they are across Washington as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $3,340 per year, compared to an average of $3,351 across Washington and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Walla Walla East, Washington

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Walla Walla East, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $15,380, about $2,300 less than the comparable average of $17,688 across all of Washington. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Walla Walla East, Washington

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Walla Walla East, a single adult spends an average of $3,490 on food annually, and a family of four spends $10,079 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Washington and the U.S., respectively, are $3,364 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $9,715 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Walla Walla East, Washington

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Walla Walla East, Washington pays $4,761 annually — relatively little compared to the statewide average of $5,697.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Walla Walla East residents live in a state with a high average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Washington total $3,527 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

Cost of Living in Walla Walla East, Washington