?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Federal Way, WA vs Puyallup, WA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Federal Way needs about $88,000 in Puyallup to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Puyallup, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $82,000 in Federal Way.

A few differences

Federal Way vs Puyallup · facet by facet
FacetFederal Way, WAPuyallup, WA
Median home price$552,800$551,800
2-bedroom rent$1,837/mo$1,835/mo
Property tax rate0.87%0.87%
State & local income tax0%0%
Sales tax9.4%9.4%
Cost of living index122122
Groceries index106106
Utilities$155/mo$155/mo
Median household income$86,909$97,826
Unemployment rate4.3%4.3%
Crime index50/10050/100
School rating6.5/106.5/10
Sunny days / year155 days155 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Federal Way, WA · Puyallup, WA
Questions & answers
Is Federal Way cheaper than Puyallup?
Federal Way and Puyallup display the same day-to-day cost index; the differences show up facet by facet in the table above.
What household income in Puyallup equals $85,000 in Federal Way?
A household earning $85,000 in Federal Way needs about $88,000 in Puyallup to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Puyallup lifestyle costs about $82,000 in Federal Way.