Pierce County · Washington · West · 35k residents
University Place, WA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for University Place: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Washington median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in University Place is $624,800, 13% above the Washington median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,792/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 125 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $99,031 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in University Place is $624,800, 12.5% above the median for ACS-covered places in Washington.
- Household income: Median household income is $99,031, right around the median for ACS-covered places in Washington.
- Adult education: 42.1% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 21.3% above the median for ACS-covered places in Washington.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 6.3 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.
- Scale: A smaller city in the profile data, with fewer than 50,000 residents.
- Setting: The profile places University Place about 6 miles from the nearest tracked ocean.
- Climate signal: The profile records 155 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 30 and an average commute of 28 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare University Place side by side
Cost of living index
125
ACS median home value
$624,800
2-bedroom rent
$1,792/mo
Median household income
$99,031
Housing momentum
How fast University Place's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
27/100
Cooling
Ranks University Place's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by University Place's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $624,800 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $350 |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,497/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,792/mo |
| State & local income tax | 0% |
| Sales tax | 9.4% |
| Cost of living index | 125 |
| Groceries index | 106 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $99/mo |
| Gas price | $4.10/gal |
| Healthcare index | 104 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,500/mo |
| Median household income | $99,031 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% |
| Population | 35k |
| Crime index | 50/100 |
| School rating | 6.5/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 99/100 |
| Avg. commute | 28 min |
| Sunny days / year | 155 days |
| July high | 76°F |
| January low | 36°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -1.3% |
| Home price MoM | -0.5% |
| Rent YoY | +1.8% |
| Rent MoM | -0.5% |
| Ocean coast | 6 mi |
| Big lake | 270 mi |
| Mountains | 44 mi |
| Major airport | 20 mi |
| Ski resort | 53 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Lakewood, WA · 63k
- Parkland, WA · 39k
- Fort Lewis, WA · 15k
- Puyallup, WA · 43k
- Spanaway, WA · 34k
Similar size
- Graham, WA · 35k
- Mount Vernon, WA · 35k
- Wenatchee, WA · 35k
- Walla Walla, WA · 34k
- Des Moines, WA · 33k
Real listings in University Place
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in University Place, WA?
- University Place indexes at 125 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,792/mo and a acs median home value of $624,800.
- How much does a house cost in University Place?
- The acs median home value in University Place is $624,800, 13% above the Washington median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in University Place?
- A two-bedroom in University Place rents for about $1,792/mo.