KENNEWICK, Wash. — It doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone in the Tri-Cities and Yakima areas that new research suggests the cost of living has risen exponentially in their communities.
According to information compiled by Doxo, the average amount of money spent on the 10 most common household bills rose 5.7% in Yakima and 7.1% in Kennewick last year. That averages out to $2,050 spent monthly in Yakima and $2,077 in Kennewick.
Furthermore, their findings show that Yakima households, on average, spent half of their income on bills while Kennewick households spent 40% of their income on bills in 2021. Compared to the national average, the total cost of bills is 2.4% higher in Yakima and 3.7% higher in Kennewick.
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Once lauded for their affordability, these cities in Eastern Washington are becoming more pricey than ever. However, they still don’t compare to some of the more expensive parts of the state, ranking 56th and 57th in cost of living for cities in Washington.
The household bills taken under consideration as part of this study in order of cost are mortgage, rent, auto loans, utilities, health insurance, auto insurance, cable/internet, mobile phone service, alarms/security and life insurance.
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What the research study doesn’t account for is the rising cost of groceries, gas, recreation, or any other aspects of daily life that are experiencing a price hike.
Metrics in this report were compiled as part of Doxo’s nationwide study entitled 50 Largest U.S. Cities Household Spend Report 2022.
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