Spokane vs Tacoma
The short version
- Spokane is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Tacoma area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $363,500 in Spokane and $479,600 in Tacoma.
- Households earn more in Tacoma ($85,884 vs $70,064 median).
- Tacoma has the warmer winter: January highs of 48°F vs 35°F.
- Spokane gets far more snow: 45 inches a year vs 6.
- Tacoma is growing faster: +4.6% since 2020 vs +0.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Spokane (21 vs 29 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Spokane, WA | Tacoma, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 230,783 | 229,816 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.8% | +4.6% |
| People per square mile | 3,356 | 4,622 |
| Median age | 37.2 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $70,064 | $85,884 |
| Median home value | $363,500 | $479,600 |
| Home value to income | 5.2× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,215 | $1,676 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.3 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 97.1 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,300 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 59% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.6 | 28.8 |
| Work from home | 15% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 13.8% | 12.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 35° / 25° | 48° / 38° |
| July high / low | 84° / 58° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 45 in | 6 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 21 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 132 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.0 | 98.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +0% | +1.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +29.1% | +28.5% |
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: Spokane: May to September. Tacoma: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Spokane weather by month and Tacoma weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,300 in Spokane and $83,300 in Tacoma. Moving from Spokane to Tacoma, you would need about $83,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Spokane and Tacoma
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Spokane and Tacoma.
Which would you pick?
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