What is the cost of living in Walla Walla?

Walla Walla has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 98.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 86.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,550/month.

What is the median salary in Walla Walla?

The median salary in Walla Walla is $71,001 annually (mean: $72,613). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Fast Food and Counter Workers.

How safe is Walla Walla?

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

What are the schools like in Walla Walla?

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 Walla Walla?

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

Is Walla Walla a good place to relocate?

Walla Walla has a Life Score of 46.1/100 (D), 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 middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Walla Walla sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Walla Walla ranks #267 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

Walla Walla, WA

BEA RPP 98.5 ranks #286 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

98.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,550
2BR rent / mo: $71,001
Median salary: 46.6
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Walla Walla ranks #267 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (46.6/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and air quality.

#267
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: climate (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), Walla Walla ranks #267 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 98.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,550/mo, median salary $71,001; LiveAbility Score 46.6/100, strongest in low hazard and air quality.

Signature: BEA RPP 98.5 ranks #286 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 98.5 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,550/mo.

LiveAbility 46.6/100 puts Walla Walla in the bottom third (#267 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Walla Walla area is 19,680.

Walla Walla 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)

47 Top 69% higher than 31% 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

Walla Walla housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Walla Walla MSA; housing RPP 86.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,550/mo.

Studio

$1,074

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,181

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,550

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,118

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,600

/month

Walla Walla wages and employment

Walla Walla posts 19,680 total employment with median salary $71,001 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$71,001

Mean Salary

$72,613

Total Employment

19,680

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$47,700
Registered Nurses	$116,970
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$35,020
Retail Salespersons	$36,620
Cashiers	$35,930

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$15,987

per year

Toddler (Center)

$12,531

per year

Preschool (Center)

$12,531

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Walla Walla's composite Life Score is 46.1/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

26/100

Weak

Wages

77/100

Strong

Rent

28/100

Weak

Crime

45/100

Average

Schools

73/100

Strong

Childcare

11/100

Bottom decile

Environment

60/100

Above average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Walla Walla ranks #267 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 46.6/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (86/100)

Low hazard

86
Air quality

79
Job market

77
Safety

45
Housing

28
Schools

27
Cost of living

26
Climate

11

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

Compare Walla Walla to

Johnstown Jonesboro Joplin Kahului-Wailuku Kalamazoo-Portage Kankakee

Metros near Walla Walla on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Walla Walla 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

Walla Walla cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla?

Walla Walla runs a $71,001 median salary at a 98.5 cost index, ranking #267 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Walla Walla's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Walla Walla head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Walla Walla
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.