Bellingham vs Gresham
The short version
- Bellingham is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Gresham area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $458,700 in Gresham and $627,500 in Bellingham.
- Households earn more in Gresham ($77,795 vs $66,755 median).
- Bellingham is growing faster: +5.4% since 2020 vs -2.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Bellingham (18 vs 26 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; Oregon's top rate is 9.9%.
Side by side
| Bellingham, WA | Gresham, OR | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 96,395 | 111,513 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.4% | -2.4% |
| People per square mile | 3,419 | 4,732 |
| Median age | 34.1 | 37.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49% | 23% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,755 | $77,795 |
| Median home value | $627,500 | $458,700 |
| Home value to income | 9.4× | 5.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,577 | $1,586 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.3 | 105.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.9 | 125.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,500 | $79,100 |
| Homeowners | 45% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | None | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 0% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.1 | 26.0 |
| Work from home | 15% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 18.6% | 13% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 46° / 34° | 48° / 36° |
| July high / low | 73° / 55° | 82° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 35 in | 37 in |
| Snowfall per year | 3 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 0 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 59 | 32 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 91.0 | 98.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 94% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +1.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +34.4% | +21.2% |
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: Bellingham: May to September. Gresham: April to October.
Full monthly tables: Bellingham weather by month and Gresham weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,500 in Bellingham and $79,100 in Gresham. Moving from Bellingham to Gresham, you would need about $76,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bellingham and Gresham
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bellingham and Gresham.
Which would you pick?
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