10 Cheapest Places to Live in Washington in 2026

Originally published on May 24, 2023, updated in October 2026.

Washington is one of the country’s most expensive places to buy a home, but the statewide figures hide very different local markets. The median single-family home in Washington sold for $645,200 in the second quarter of 2026, according to the University of Washington’s Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER). In the ten communities in this guide, the median sale price ranges from $214,898 to $364,821.

None of the ten is in Puget Sound. WCRER’s State of the State’s Housing 2025 put the Puget Sound median near $863,000, compared with about $498,000 in the rest of the state. Our list is drawn from that second Washington: timber and port towns on the coast, a Spokane suburb next to the region’s largest employer, two small I-5 towns in southwest Washington, a fast-growing Columbia Basin city and a northeastern county seat.

Methodology

We evaluated homebuying affordability by comparing median home sale prices with local median household incomes across the ten Washington communities in this guide.

Home prices come from Redfin’s September 2026 market updates for all home types, with price summaries covering the three months ending September. Local incomes use the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, as reported by Data USA. These income figures are historical estimates, rather than measurements of 2026 earnings.

For each community, we estimated the monthly cost of buying a median-priced home using a 20% down payment, a 30-year fixed mortgage and the interest rate, property-tax and insurance assumptions detailed in the table. We then calculated the gross annual income needed to keep that payment at 28% of household income.

Places are ranked by their income gap:

Income gap = Estimated required annual income − Local median household income

A smaller gap indicates a smaller estimated income shortfall. A negative gap means local median household income exceeds the modeled income target. The separate price ranking shows which communities have the lowest purchase prices.

This comparison includes cities and unincorporated communities. It does not measure total living costs or guarantee mortgage eligibility. HOA fees, utilities, maintenance and closing costs are excluded, and small-market prices and income estimates can fluctuate.

Washington’s 10 Cheapest Places in 2026

Data compiled October 14, 2026. Median sale prices are from Redfin and cover the three months ending September 2026 for all 10 places. Price rank shows each place’s position by median sale price among these 10 (1 = cheapest).

Financing assumptions: a 20% down payment, a 30-year fixed mortgage and a 7.40% interest rate (Freddie Mac PMMS, October 8, 2026). All payment and income figures are estimates.

¹ Estimated monthly payment includes principal, interest, property taxes and homeowners insurance. Tax estimates use county effective property-tax rates from 0.59% (Stevens County) to 0.84% (Spokane County). Insurance is estimated at 0.589% of the purchase price per year, based on Insurance.com’s Washington average of $1,766 for $300,000 of dwelling coverage. Actual taxes and premiums vary. PMI, flood insurance, HOA fees, maintenance, utilities and closing costs are excluded.

² Required annual income is the gross household income needed to keep the estimated monthly payment at 28% of income. It is calculated as monthly payment × 12 ÷ 0.28, using unrounded figures.

³ Local median household income comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates, reported through Data USA. These are historical estimates, not 2026 earnings.

⁴ Income gap is required income minus local median household income. A negative number is a cushion, and a positive number is a shortfall. Places are ranked by this gap, smallest first. The ranking compares estimated homebuying affordability only. It does not measure total living costs or guarantee mortgage eligibility.

1. Omak, Okanogan County

• Median sale price: $254,879 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 1
• Price rank: 3

Omak, a town of about 5,000 in the Okanogan Valley (OFM), is the only community on this list with a negative income gap. Its median household income of $76,544 exceeds the roughly $72,782 needed to carry a median-priced home, leaving a cushion of about $3,762 a year.

Prices have softened. Redfin shows a median of $254,879 for the three months ending September 2026, down 12.2% from a year earlier, with 16 homes sold in September. Homes sold for 94.8% of list price on average, and only 12.5% sold above list. Countywide, Okanogan had 13.1 months of supply in Q2 2026, one of the deepest inventories in the state (WCRER).

Health care anchors the local job market. Mid-Valley Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital and Level IV trauma center run by a public hospital district. The state’s March 2026 hospital snapshot shows 14.5% of its budgeted positions unfilled and lists the hospital, Walmart, SunOpta Fruit and Home Depot among the county’s top employers. Housing remains tight for lower-income residents: the Okanogan County Housing Coalition cites a projected need for 2,036 new units countywide by 2044, and a local nonprofit has bought 60 acres in North Omak for a housing master plan.

2. Hoquiam, Grays Harbor County

• Median sale price: $214,898 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 2
• Price rank: 1

Hoquiam has the lowest median sale price on the list. Redfin shows a median of $214,898 for the three months ending September 2026, down 4.0% from a year earlier, with 34 homes sold in September. That keeps the modeled income requirement to about $61,700, only $11,877 more than the town’s median household income of $49,795, the lowest income in the ranking.

The market has cooled: the median home took 55 days to sell, up from 31 a year earlier, and sold for 95.0% of list price on average. The Port of Grays Harbor reports a planned $240 million wood pellet plant at Terminal 3 in Hoquiam, expected to create 55 to 60 full-time jobs, with construction targeted for the second quarter of 2026. Hoquiam shares Grays Harbor’s hospital and employers with neighboring Aberdeen, including Harbor Regional Health and Stafford Creek Corrections Center (state hospital snapshot).

Flood risk is the issue to watch. The planned Aberdeen–Hoquiam North Shore Levee would reduce flood risk for about 2,000 properties and 360 businesses, but a 2026 letter to FEMA reports that the federal award was cut from $47 million to $34.65 million.

3. Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County

• Median sale price: $251,565 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 3
• Price rank: 2

The median sale price in Aberdeen was $251,565 for the three months ending September 2026, down 14.8% from a year earlier, while sales rose 21% to 57 homes. The median household income of $52,195 is about $20,000 short of the modeled requirement. Homes sold for 95.9% of list price on average after a median of 54 days.

The Grays Harbor economy runs on health care, corrections, schools and the port. The state’s hospital snapshot lists Harbor Regional Health, Stafford Creek Corrections Center, the Aberdeen School District and the Quinault Nation among the area’s top employers, and Harbor Regional reported 63.6 unfilled positions. The Port of Grays Harbor expected record auto-import and woodchip volumes in 2025 and is finishing its largest-ever infrastructure project, the Terminal 4 expansion. Grays Harbor College, founded in 1930, served 3,009 students in 2024–25.

Aberdeen is covered by the same planned North Shore Levee as Hoquiam, so flood zones and insurance belong in every purchase conversation (2026 letter to FEMA).

4. Medical Lake, Spokane County

• Median sale price: $359,829 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 4
• Price rank: 9

Medical Lake sits about 15 miles southwest of Spokane and dates to 1890 (HistoryLink). It has the highest household income on this list, $79,989, which offsets a higher price. Redfin shows a median of $359,829 for the three months ending September 2026, down 8.9% from a year earlier, with 22 homes sold and an average sale-to-list ratio of 93.9%.

Two large public employers shape the town. Eastern State Hospital, the state psychiatric hospital, opened here in 1891, and neighboring Fairchild Air Force Base is the Spokane area’s largest employer at 7,400 workers, according to HUD’s 2025 market analysis. HUD also projects demand for 4,050 new for-sale homes in the Spokane area between mid-2025 and mid-2028.

The 2023 Gray Fire destroyed about 240 homes in and around Medical Lake, including 55 inside city limits, and most owners chose to rebuild (KREM). Spokane County’s 0.84% effective tax rate is the highest among the ten places.

5. Castle Rock, Cowlitz County

• Median sale price: $329,843 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 5
• Price rank: 7

Castle Rock, a Cowlitz County town of about 2,475 (OFM), is one of the two smallest communities in the ranking. Redfin shows a median of $329,843 for the three months ending September 2026, down 23.9% from a year earlier, on 13 sales in September. The median household income of $69,639 leaves a gap of about $25,300.

The steep annual drop has not made the market slow. Homes sold for 100.3% of list price on average, and 46.2% sold above list, the highest share among the ten places. Castle Rock sits on Interstate 5 north of Kelso and Longview, and Cowlitz County had only 2.2 months of supply in Q2 2026 (WCRER).

The town is the western start of the 54-mile Spirit Lake Memorial Highway toward Mount St. Helens. Nearby Seaquest State Park covers 505 acres on Silver Lake and houses the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, open since 1987.

6. Chehalis, Lewis County

• Median sale price: $352,082 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 6
• Price rank: 8

Chehalis, the Lewis County seat on Interstate 5, combines a $352,082 median sale price (three months ending September 2026, down 11.8% from a year earlier) with a median household income of $73,702. Its income gap is about $25,700. Lewis County’s 0.67% effective tax rate also helps.

New jobs are coming. Construction is under way on an Amazon building of about 1 million square feet at the Port of Chehalis, and the port projects 500 to 1,000 jobs (Construction Equipment Guide, July 2026). Lewis County’s planning allocation assigns Chehalis 1,707 new housing units through 2045 and a population target of 13,500 (Lewis County staff report). Demand is already firm: 37.5% of September’s 24 sales closed above list price.

For weekends, the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad runs a 1916 steam locomotive on about 10 miles of track and carries more than 10,000 riders a year.

7. Colville, Stevens County

• Median sale price: $297,858 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 7
• Price rank: 4

Colville is the Stevens County seat in northeast Washington. Its Redfin median of $297,858 for the three months ending September 2026 was nearly unchanged from a year earlier (−0.9%), with 18 homes sold in September. The median household income is $56,558, and the income gap is about $26,700.

In-town homes are much cheaper than the county as a whole: Stevens County’s Q2 2026 median was $450,000 (WCRER). Stevens County’s 0.59% effective tax rate is the lowest on the list. Providence Mount Carmel Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital with emergency, maternity and surgical services.

8. Moses Lake, Grant County

• Median sale price: $364,821 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 8
• Price rank: 10

Moses Lake is the largest and fastest-growing city in the ranking. Its population rose from 25,146 in 2020 to about 27,960 in 2026, an 11.2% increase (OFM). With 110 sales in September, Redfin shows a median of $364,821, up 5.4% from a year earlier. It is the highest-priced place on the list but makes the top 10 because of its $74,752 median household income.

Samaritan Healthcare opened a $225 million, 174,000-square-foot hospital on March 7, 2026. Its service area is projected to grow from 52,352 to 55,290 people by 2029 (state snapshot). Big Bend Community College served 4,330 students in 2024–25, with commercial pilot and aviation maintenance among its largest programs. Grant County had 5.1 months of supply in Q2 2026 (WCRER).

9. Clarkston, Asotin County

• Median sale price: $314,850 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 9
• Price rank: 6

Clarkston sits across the Snake River from Lewiston, Idaho, in the Lewis-Clark Valley. Redfin reports a median of $314,850 for the three months ending September 2026, up 8.6% from a year earlier, with 17 homes sold and a median of 36 days on market. The median household income is $54,152.

Asotin County was the only county containing a top-10 place to score above 100 on WCRER’s Q2 2026 affordability index, at 102, with a median price of $320,000 (WCRER). TriState Health, a 25-bed critical access hospital, serves about 60,500 people in Asotin County and nearby Nez Perce County, Idaho; the state’s snapshot lists Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and CCI/Speer among the region’s major employers.

10. Long Beach, Pacific County

• Median sale price: $313,851 (three months ending September 2026)
• Affordability rank: 10
• Price rank: 5

Long Beach, a city of about 1,730 on the Long Beach Peninsula (OFM), rounds out the list. Redfin reports a median of $313,851 for the three months ending September 2026, down 7.4%, with 24 homes sold at 97.6% of list price on average. The median household income is $53,032.

Pacific County had 10.0 months of supply in Q2 2026 (WCRER), so buyers have time and choice. The 8.5-mile Lewis and Clark Discovery Trail links Ilwaco and North Long Beach. Ocean Beach Hospital’s service area is projected to grow about 7.4% by 2029, and the U.S. Coast Guard is among the area’s top employers (state snapshot).

What Drives Affordability in Washington in 2026

Mortgage rates

The 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.40% in the week of October 8, 2026, up from 6.30% a year earlier (Freddie Mac). At that rate, principal and interest on the median home ranges from about $1,190 a month in Hoquiam to about $2,021 in Moses Lake.

Property taxes

Washington taxes property through local levies, not one statewide rate. Taxes due in 2025 totaled $18.45 billion, up 4.6%, at an average of $8.96 per $1,000 of assessed value (Department of Revenue). The state school levy alone was about $2.13 per $1,000 (DOR). County effective rates for the ten places range from 0.59% (Stevens) to 0.84% (Spokane).

No state income tax

Washington does not tax wages, which leaves more income for housing. Buyers who work in Idaho, as many in the Clarkston area do, may still owe Idaho income tax on those wages.

Transfer costs

The state real estate excise tax is 1.1% on sales up to $525,000 through December 31, 2026, so every median sale in this guide falls in the lowest bracket. Sellers usually pay it, but it affects net proceeds and negotiations. The thresholds reset in 2027.

Homeowners insurance

Washington’s average premium is $1,766 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, compared with $2,872 nationally (Insurance.com). Flood insurance on the coast and wildfire exposure in the east can add costs that the averages miss.

Down payment assistance

The Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s Home Advantage DPA offers 3%, 4% or 5% of the loan amount at 0% interest for incomes up to $215,000, and a needs-based option provides up to $10,000 for homes under $250,000, a threshold Hoquiam’s median falls under. House Key Opportunity offers up to $15,000 at 1% for first-time buyers within income limits. The Covenant Homeownership Program funded 1,087 loans averaging $109,720 through 2025, and about 68% went to buyers outside King County (impact report).

Loan limits

The 2026 FHA limit for one-unit homes starts at $541,287 in lower-cost areas (HUD ML 2025-23 summary), and the baseline conforming limit is $832,750 (Fannie Mae). Every median in this guide sits far below both.

Jobs and wages

Washington’s unemployment rate was 4.9% in August 2026 versus 4.1% nationally, and education and health services added 16,000 jobs over the year. The state minimum wage of $17.13 rises to $17.73 on January 1, 2027 (OPB).

Housing supply

Washington added 41,000 housing units in the year to March 2026, 62% of them multifamily (OFM), and permitted 34,913 units in 2025, down 8% (WCRER). The Department of Commerce estimates the state needs about 1.1 million new homes over 20 years (Commerce).

Quality of Life in Washington’s Affordable Towns

Health care

Most towns on this list are anchored by a local hospital. Omak, Clarkston and Colville each have a 25-bed critical access hospital (Mid-Valley, TriState, Providence Mount Carmel). The Long Beach Peninsula is served by a public hospital district, Aberdeen and Hoquiam by Harbor Regional Health, Moses Lake by Samaritan’s new hospital, and Castle Rock by hospitals in nearby Longview.

Education

Grays Harbor College serves Aberdeen and Hoquiam, with additional campuses in Raymond and Ilwaco near Long Beach. Big Bend Community College in the Moses Lake area offers aviation training alongside transfer degrees.

Recreation

Long Beach has the 8.5-mile Discovery Trail and miles of beach. Medical Lake sits in the Four Lakes area southwest of Spokane, Castle Rock is the gateway to Mount St. Helens via the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, and Chehalis has a historic steam railroad.

Community

Most of these towns are stable rather than booming. Aberdeen, Hoquiam and Medical Lake have barely changed in population since 2020, while Moses Lake grew 11.2% (OFM). Medical Lake’s rebuilding after the 2023 Gray Fire shows how attached residents are to the town.

So What is the Cheapest Place to Live in Washington?

Washington’s most affordable places are mostly outside Puget Sound: coastal timber and port towns, small county seats and a few growing inland cities. Median sale prices in this guide range from about $215,000 in Hoquiam to about $365,000 in Moses Lake, well below the statewide median of $645,200. Omak is the only place where the typical household already earns more than our model requires. In the other nine, the gap runs from roughly $12,000 to $36,000 a year, so a higher income, a larger down payment or assistance can make the difference.

The numbers are a starting point, not the whole picture. Flood insurance in Grays Harbor and on the coast, wildfire exposure in eastern Washington, and wells, septic systems or older homes in rural areas can all change the real cost of ownership. Many of these markets also record only a few dozen sales a month, so medians can move quickly. Recent comparable sales tell you more than a single figure. Washington’s down payment assistance programs and the state’s lack of an income tax can help close the gap for many households.

Every buyer’s situation is different, and the right loan depends on how income is earned and what kind of property is being purchased. AD Mortgage works with mortgage brokers across Washington on a range of options. These include FHA, VA and conventional loans, bank statement loans for self-employed borrowers and DSCR loans for investors. Talking with a broker early can help match a home in any of these communities with financing that fits.

Program availability and terms are subject to change and to underwriting approval.

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