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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Moses Lake, WA vs Tumwater, 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 Moses Lake needs about $94,000 in Tumwater to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Tumwater, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $76,000 in Moses Lake.

A few differences

Moses Lake vs Tumwater · facet by facet
FacetMoses Lake, WATumwater, WA
Median home price$310,000$472,200
2-bedroom rent$1,225/mo$1,737/mo
Property tax rate0.87%0.87%
State & local income tax0%0%
Sales tax9.4%9.4%
Cost of living index100116
Groceries index106106
Utilities$155/mo$155/mo
Median household income$74,752$95,212
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: Moses Lake, WA · Tumwater, WA
Questions & answers
Is Moses Lake cheaper than Tumwater?
Moses Lake has the lower day-to-day cost index (100 vs 116 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Tumwater equals $85,000 in Moses Lake?
A household earning $85,000 in Moses Lake needs about $94,000 in Tumwater to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Tumwater lifestyle costs about $76,000 in Moses Lake.