See How Insanely Expensive It Is To Live In Washington State

One of the greatest abilities we human possess is the ability to adapt.  More often than not its an asset, but sometimes our adaptability works against us.  A prime example of that is how we adapt to the ever increasing cost of things.  Not only do we adapt, but we then come to accept...after we complain about it for a bit.

It seems that every time we turn around something else in the Evergreen State costs us more money.  If it isn't the annual tax increase passed by the legislature, it's a passed down cost created by a number of reasons.  After our initial ire fades, we roll back into everyday life and pay the increased cost of whatever until the next time it goes up.  Wash...Rinse...Repeat.

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The other thing is we tend to forget HOW MUCH things have gone up until we see/read something (like this) that jogs our memories and makes us long for the days of affordability.  It's a societal V-8 moment...

I'm going to take you down memory lane, circa 2015, to show you just how much some things have gone up in Washington State.  I can almost guarantee that your paycheck hasn't increased nearly as much.

The Median Home Price

The price of housing around the state has blown up over the last ten years.  The median home price in 2015 was $289,100.  In 2020, the first full year of the COVID pandemic (when interest rates were practically nothing) the median home price jumped to $452,400 as it was a seller's market.  Once the pandemic ended, the increase in housing costs didn't slow down.  The median home price in 2025 is $612,000 which is currently 4% over last year.  One thing to add, the median price of housing has been outpacing median income for the last 25 years.

The Price of Gas

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in 2015 was $2.68.  That includes the price increases in the summer months and drops over the late year holiday months.  In the first half of 2015 the gas tax was 37 cents a gallon and the combined tax (including federal tax) was 55 cents.  August of 2015 the gas tax went up to 44 cents a gallon and a combined tax 62 cents.

In July of 2016 the gas tax went to it's current rate of 49 cents per gallon and a combined tax of 67 cents.  That doesn't include the impact the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) has had on gas prices.  Most estimates say it has added a cumulative 40 cents to the price of gas and 50 cents to the price of diesel.  As of this writing the average gas price around the state is $4.28 a gallon with diesel at $4.44.  The gas tax is also expected to go up another 6 cents a gallon in July and then increase based on inflation.

Putting Food On The Table

Washington State has never been in the bottom half of food costs nationally that I can remember.  I'm not sure the last time we were outside of the top ten0 in most expensive category.  Even in 2015 we were the sixth most expensive in the country with the average weekly grocery bill at $196.  Ten years later we sit at number four on the most expensive in the US list with an average weekly grocery bill of $287, a nearly $100 per week increase.

The Cost of Car Ownership

The cost of owning a car (according to AAA data) takes fuel costs, car payments, maintenance and insurance.  It also looks at your driver's license cost as well as fees and tabs.  In 2015 the average cost to own a car in Washington State was just over $10,000.  Before I fast forward to today, you might want to buckle up.  According to data from Nasdaq, the cost of car ownership has nearly tripled to just over $27,000 a year.