Auburn vs Bellingham
The short version
- Bellingham is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Auburn area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $547,900 in Auburn and $627,500 in Bellingham.
- Households earn more in Auburn ($97,884 vs $66,755 median).
- Bellingham is growing faster: +5.4% since 2020 vs -2.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Bellingham (18 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Auburn, WA | Bellingham, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 86,301 | 96,395 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.4% | +5.4% |
| People per square mile | 2,918 | 3,419 |
| Median age | 36.0 | 34.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26% | 49% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $97,884 | $66,755 |
| Median home value | $547,900 | $627,500 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 9.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,786 | $1,577 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.1 | 103.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.3 | 112.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,300 | $77,500 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 45% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.5 | 18.1 |
| Work from home | 14% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 8.9% | 18.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 38° | 46° / 34° |
| July high / low | 77° / 57° | 73° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 39 in | 35 in |
| Snowfall per year | 6 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 | 0 |
| Nights below freezing | 25 | 59 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 91.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 94% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.6% | +34.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Auburn: May to September. Bellingham: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Auburn weather by month and Bellingham weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,300 in Auburn and $77,500 in Bellingham. Moving from Auburn to Bellingham, you would need about $69,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Auburn and Bellingham
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Auburn and Bellingham.
Which would you pick?
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