Homeownership is fundamental to the American dream. It offers wealth, security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many Washington residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as incomes rise and mortgage rates fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers stuck and younger generations priced out.
But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.
To find out where these cities are, Redfin Real Estate ranked the most affordable cities in Washington, based on their local payment to income ratios. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.
#1. Graham, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 38.5%
- Median sale price: $580,640
- Median household income: $115,501
- Income needed to buy: $148,274
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,707
- See homes for sale in Graham on Redfin.com
#2. Richland, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 38.9%
- Median sale price: $469,946
- Median household income: $92,550
- Income needed to buy: $120,007
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,000
- See homes for sale in Richland on Redfin.com
#3. Spanaway, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 40.2%
- Median sale price: $492,881
- Median household income: $94,028
- Income needed to buy: $125,864
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,147
- See homes for sale in Spanaway on Redfin.com
#4. Maple Valley, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 40.3%
- Median sale price: $775,955
- Median household income: $147,546
- Income needed to buy: $198,150
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,954
- See homes for sale in Maple Valley on Redfin.com
#5. Pasco, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 40.4%
- Median sale price: $427,980
- Median household income: $81,130
- Income needed to buy: $109,290
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,732
- See homes for sale in Pasco on Redfin.com
#6. Orchards, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 42.0%
- Median sale price: $531,354
- Median household income: $96,893
- Income needed to buy: $135,688
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,392
- See homes for sale in Orchards on Redfin.com
#7. South Hill, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 43.3%
- Median sale price: $616,752
- Median household income: $109,235
- Income needed to buy: $157,495
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,937
- See homes for sale in South Hill on Redfin.com
#8. Lacey, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 44.9%
- Median sale price: $511,158
- Median household income: $87,277
- Income needed to buy: $130,531
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,263
- See homes for sale in Lacey on Redfin.com
#9. Tacoma, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 45.0%
- Median sale price: $492,132
- Median household income: $83,857
- Income needed to buy: $125,672
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,142
- See homes for sale in Tacoma on Redfin.com
#10. Kennewick, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 45.2%
- Median sale price: $430,147
- Median household income: $72,867
- Income needed to buy: $109,844
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,746
- See homes for sale in Kennewick on Redfin.com
#11. Lake Stevens, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 46.4%
- Median sale price: $715,680
- Median household income: $118,290
- Income needed to buy: $182,758
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,569
- See homes for sale in Lake Stevens on Redfin.com
#12. Camas, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 46.7%
- Median sale price: $853,223
- Median household income: $140,053
- Income needed to buy: $217,881
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,447
- See homes for sale in Camas on Redfin.com
#13. Mill Creek East, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 46.9%
- Median sale price: $1,122,640
- Median household income: $183,466
- Income needed to buy: $286,681
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $7,167
- See homes for sale in Mill Creek East on Redfin.com
#14. Puyallup, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 47.2%
- Median sale price: $589,508
- Median household income: $95,639
- Income needed to buy: $150,538
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,763
- See homes for sale in Puyallup on Redfin.com
#15. Bremerton, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 48.9%
- Median sale price: $475,112
- Median household income: $74,399
- Income needed to buy: $121,326
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,033
- See homes for sale in Bremerton on Redfin.com
#16. Vancouver, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 49.3%
- Median sale price: $502,762
- Median household income: $78,156
- Income needed to buy: $128,387
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,210
- See homes for sale in Vancouver on Redfin.com
#17. Marysville, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 50.1%
- Median sale price: $656,392
- Median household income: $100,362
- Income needed to buy: $167,618
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,190
- See homes for sale in Marysville on Redfin.com
#18. Auburn, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 51.6%
- Median sale price: $642,803
- Median household income: $95,367
- Income needed to buy: $164,148
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,104
- See homes for sale in Auburn on Redfin.com
#19. Parkland, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 51.9%
- Median sale price: $486,903
- Median household income: $71,829
- Income needed to buy: $124,337
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,108
- See homes for sale in Parkland on Redfin.com
#20. Olympia, Washington
- Payment to income ratio: 53.9%
- Median sale price: $541,345
- Median household income: $76,930
- Income needed to buy: $138,239
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,456
- See homes for sale in Olympia on Redfin.com
This story was produced by Redfin Real Estate and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
