What is the cost of living in Bellingham?

Bellingham has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 103.3, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 112.9, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,794/month.

What is the median salary in Bellingham?

The median salary in Bellingham is $74,723 annually (mean: $78,306). Top occupations include Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.

How safe is Bellingham?

The violent crime rate in the Bellingham area is 329 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2498 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Bellingham?

The state of WA has 2,465 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.6:1. Charter schools make up 0.6% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Bellingham?

Infant center-based childcare in the Bellingham area averages $15,987 per year. Preschool averages $12,531/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Bellingham a good place to relocate?

Bellingham has a Life Score of 43.6/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Bellingham sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Bellingham ranks #235 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Bellingham, WA

BEA RPP 103.3 ranks #346 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

103.3
Cost index (US=100): $1,794
2BR rent / mo: $74,723
Median salary: 48.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Bellingham ranks #235 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (48.7/100), with its strongest marks in air quality and job market.

#235
of 387 US metros · Near median: 7,958,180
metro-area population: 329
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,465
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: cost of living (11/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Bellingham ranks #235 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 103.3 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,794/mo, median salary $74,723; LiveAbility Score 48.7/100, strongest in air quality and job market.

Signature: BEA RPP 103.3 ranks #346 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 103.3 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,794/mo.

LiveAbility 48.7/100 keeps Bellingham in the middle third (#235 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Bellingham area is 82,720.

Bellingham vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

49 Top 61% higher than 39% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Bellingham housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Bellingham MSA; housing RPP 112.9 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,794/mo.

Studio

$1,463

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,493

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,794

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,495

/month

4 Bedroom

$3,010

/month

Bellingham wages and employment

Bellingham posts 82,720 total employment with median salary $74,723 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$74,723

Mean Salary

$78,306

Total Employment

82,720

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Retail Salespersons	$37,840
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$37,030
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$44,080
Cashiers	$37,250
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	$43,560

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Bellingham area from NCES.

Schools

2,465

Enrollment

1,092,149

Student:Teacher

17.6:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Bellingham area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$15,987

per year

Toddler (Center)

$12,531

per year

Preschool (Center)

$12,531

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Bellingham's composite Life Score is 43.6/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

11/100

Bottom decile

Wages

91/100

Elite

Rent

15/100

Bottom decile

Crime

47/100

Average

Schools

68/100

Strong

Childcare

14/100

Bottom decile

Environment

58/100

Above average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Bellingham ranks #235 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 48.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Air quality (93/100)

Air quality

93
Job market

91
Low hazard

88
Safety

47
Climate

42
Schools

32
Housing

15
Cost of living

11

What this shows Bellingham's strongest dimensions are air quality and job market; its weakest among scored dims is cost of living at 11/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Bellingham to

Erie Eugene-Springfield Evansville Fairbanks-College Fargo Farmington

Metros near Bellingham on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Bellingham on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Bellingham cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Bellingham wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Bellingham?

Bellingham runs a $74,723 median salary at a 103.3 cost index, ranking #235 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Bellingham's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Bellingham head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Bellingham
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.