Living in Spokane, WA
Mid-size city in Washington
Spokane is a mid-size city in Washington, home to about 229,000 people, with 556,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Spokane a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Low natural disaster risk: 5 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Mild summers: highs around 83°F
- Strong healthcare: 2 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Easy flying: GEG is 6 mi away
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 556,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Fewer graduates: 33% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Spokane ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Spokane: common questions
What is the cost of living in Spokane?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $394k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,090 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 100, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Spokane?
Washington collects about $70 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.83% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Spokane safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (1.8× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Spokane?
Spokane has cold winters: winter days average around 39°F and summer days around 83°F, with roughly 45″ of snow a year.
Does Spokane get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and cold waves: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.47 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Spokane?
The nearest major airport is GEG, about 6 mi away.
How Spokane scores
Each bar compares Spokane with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Spokane
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 23 aspects.
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Washington.
Is Spokane right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.