Kirkland vs Vancouver
The short version
- Vancouver is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Kirkland area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $462,400 in Vancouver and $1,115,400 in Kirkland.
- Households earn more in Kirkland ($150,414 vs $81,338 median).
Side by side
| Kirkland, WA | Vancouver, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 97,410 | 199,698 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.7% | +4.6% |
| People per square mile | 5,471 | 4,092 |
| Median age | 38.3 | 37.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 66% | 32% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $150,414 | $81,338 |
| Median home value | $1,115,400 | $462,400 |
| Home value to income | 7.4× | 5.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,401 | $1,702 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.1 | 105.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.3 | 125.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,300 | $79,100 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.9 | 23.2 |
| Work from home | 34% | 18% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 5.7% |
| Poverty rate | 6.1% | 10.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 47° / 37° | 48° / 36° |
| July high / low | 77° / 57° | 82° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 37 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 2 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 25 | 32 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 92.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +1.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.6% | +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: Kirkland: May to September. Vancouver: April to October.
Full monthly tables: Kirkland weather by month and Vancouver 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 Kirkland and $79,100 in Vancouver. Moving from Kirkland to Vancouver, you would need about $71,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Kirkland and Vancouver
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Kirkland and Vancouver.
Which would you pick?
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