Cost Of Living in Yelm, WA

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Yelm	Washington	National
Cost of living	123	118	100
Goods & Services	113	111	100
Groceries	109	110	100
Health care	123	120	100
Housing	146	135	100
Transportation	128	123	100
Utilities	97	92	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Yelm is 4% higher than the Washington average
The cost of living in Yelm is 23% higher than the national average
Yelm housing is 46% higher than the national average
Washington general sales tax is 27% higher than the national average
Washington state income tax is 100% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$86,250	$7,188	$2,012	$2,588
Renters	$50,449	$4,204	$1,177	$1,514

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Yelm, WA, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Yelm, the median monthly income is $86,250 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $2,012 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $50,449, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $1,177 on monthly rental expenses.

Washington Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Washington	6.5%	10.4%

Washington Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Washington	0%	0%

Goods & Services

Item	Yelm	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$24.33	$24.26	0.3%
Beauty Salon	$30.83	$45.56	32.3%
Toothpaste	$3.47	$3.70	6.2%
Shampoo	$1.21	$1.28	5.5%
Movie	$10.25	$12.13	15.5%
Bowling	$13.08	$18.00	27.3%

Groceries

Item	Yelm	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.83	$5.84	0.1%
Fried Chicken	$2.44	$1.57	55.1%
Milk	$4.86	$4.67	4.1%
Potatoes	$4.15	$4.93	16.0%
Pizza	$14.32	$12.09	18.5%
Beer	$11.62	$10.41	11.6%

Health Care

Item	Yelm	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$155.39	$125.68	23.6%
Doctor	$188.50	$135.78	38.8%
Dentist	$117.89	$113.29	4.1%
Ibuprofen	$11.97	$10.65	12.4%
Lipitor	$517.22	$468.60	10.4%

Housing

Item	Yelm	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$270,900.00	$184,700.00	46.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,126.92	$2,346.69	9.4%
Apartment Rent	$1,358.00	$949.00	43.1%

Transportation

Item	Yelm	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$4.37	$3.46	26.2%
Tire Balancing	$69.72	$59.92	16.4%

Utilities

Item	Yelm	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$126.20	$193.99	34.9%
Phone	$189.62	$192.25	1.4%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Ketron Island, WA	0	115	14.6%
Bucoda, WA	608	104	4.2%
North Yelm, WA	3,738	109	8.8%
Tenino, WA	1,744	110	9.9%
Nisqually Indian Community, WA	591	115	14.6%
Yelm, WA	9,262	123	22.5%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Bethalto, IL	9,258	89	10.7%
Indianola, MS	9,258	81	18.7%
Atmore, AL	9,269	83	17.0%
Westphalia, MD	9,269	136	36.1%
Aransas Pass, TX	9,269	93	7.0%
Yelm, WA	9,262	123	22.5%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Yelm, WA