Washington rent guide
The Cheapest Cities to Rent in Washington (July 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 1,287 rentals across 75 Washington cities
Washington really splits in two: the pricey core of Seattle and the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland), and everywhere else, which runs far cheaper. The deep value is in eastern Washington (Spokane, Yakima, the Tri-Cities) and the working cities south of Seattle (Tacoma, Vancouver, Everett). We track every apartment we can find and rank the cities below by their typical rent, straight from live listings.
The lowest typical rent right now is in Pullman (about $920/mo), while Mercer Island sits at the top ($2,427/mo). For most renters the big call is core-metro vs the rest of the state; the bedroom count you need takes it from there.
Washington cities by typical rent, cheapest first
| # | City | Typical | From | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pullman | $920 | $850 | 6 |
| 2 | Pasco | $1,089 | $850 | 8 |
| 3 | Moses Lake | $1,200 | $1,094 | 5 |
| 4 | Bellingham | $1,220 | $1,122 | 9 |
| 5 | Spokane | $1,260 | $801 | 58 |
| 6 | Olympia | $1,294 | $1,100 | 8 |
| 7 | Spokane Valley | $1,298 | $983 | 22 |
| 8 | Kennewick | $1,354 | $1,041 | 18 |
| 9 | Lakewood | $1,363 | $979 | 30 |
| 10 | Tacoma | $1,411 | $899 | 84 |
| 11 | Auburn | $1,497 | $1,100 | 16 |
| 12 | Richland | $1,500 | $1,075 | 17 |
| 13 | Vancouver | $1,508 | $942 | 73 |
| 14 | Tumwater | $1,531 | $1,250 | 5 |
| 15 | SeaTac | $1,545 | $1,455 | 7 |
| 16 | Kent | $1,565 | $1,200 | 35 |
| 17 | Federal Way | $1,574 | $1,300 | 30 |
| 18 | Des Moines | $1,579 | $1,375 | 10 |
| 19 | Tukwila | $1,620 | $1,405 | 8 |
| 20 | Wenatchee | $1,650 | $1,380 | 13 |
| 21 | Shoreline | $1,658 | $1,199 | 15 |
| 22 | Lacey | $1,663 | $1,254 | 20 |
| 23 | Burien | $1,665 | $1,349 | 10 |
| 24 | Everett | $1,695 | $1,233 | 49 |
| 25 | University Place | $1,695 | $1,390 | 10 |
| 26 | Lynnwood | $1,735 | $1,395 | 34 |
| 27 | Puyallup | $1,748 | $1,284 | 23 |
| 28 | Seattle | $1,755 | $899 | 290 |
| 29 | Renton | $1,756 | $1,100 | 48 |
| 30 | Bremerton | $1,781 | $1,400 | 19 |
| 31 | Edmonds | $1,792 | $1,350 | 16 |
| 32 | Bothell | $1,822 | $1,449 | 30 |
| 33 | Mill Creek | $1,829 | $1,599 | 5 |
| 34 | Marysville | $1,883 | $1,495 | 12 |
| 35 | Mukilteo | $1,960 | $1,619 | 6 |
| 36 | Kirkland | $1,993 | $1,100 | 44 |
| 37 | Maple Valley | $2,082 | $1,850 | 5 |
| 38 | Bellevue | $2,115 | $995 | 57 |
| 39 | Sammamish | $2,116 | $1,693 | 9 |
| 40 | Redmond | $2,169 | $1,609 | 38 |
| 41 | Issaquah | $2,315 | $1,665 | 21 |
| 42 | Mercer Island | $2,427 | $1,942 | 6 |
How we rank them
“Typical” is the median rent across everything we track in a city, so half the listings are cheaper and half pricier. “From” is the single cheapest unit listed right now. We include cities with at least five live listings and exclude single rooms and senior housing. Small-city medians can swing on a few listings, so the bigger markets are the most stable. Refreshes when our data does (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest city to rent in Washington?
By typical (median) rent it's Pullman, around $920/mo, then Pasco and Moses Lake. The best value sits in Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Tacoma, well away from Seattle and the Eastside. The ranking rebuilds from live listings, so it moves with the market.
Where is rent most expensive in Washington?
Mercer Island tops the list at about $2,427/mo. The priciest rents in the state are Seattle and the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland), where higher salaries and newer housing push rents well above everywhere else.
How do I find the cheapest rent in Washington?
Start in the value markets in the table below, filter to the bedroom count you actually need, and sort by price. The single cheapest unit in a city (the "from" price) is often hundreds below the median, so the building matters as much as the city.
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