Is Bremerton cheaper than Olympia?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bremerton and Olympia metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Bremerton or Olympia?

Bremerton has the higher median household income — $109,052 versus $98,264 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Bremerton or Olympia?

A paycheck stretches further in Bremerton. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $103,262 there versus $94,785 in Olympia.

Which has cheaper rent, Bremerton or Olympia?

Rents are close — $1,869/mo in the Bremerton metro versus $1,829/mo in Olympia (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Bremerton vs Olympia

Metro-area medians — Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA Metro Area vs Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Bremerton comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Bremerton and Olympia cost about the same to live in, but Bremerton households earn about 11% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Bremerton.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Bremerton, WA

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$58,058

real value after local prices

Olympia, WA

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$59,143

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Olympia leaves you about $1,085/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Bremerton

Olympia

Livability (CityLedger)

80/100

67/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

105.6

103.7

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$103,262

$94,785

Median household income

$109,052

$98,264

Median rent

$1,869/mo

$1,829/mo

Median home value

$579,700

$525,500

Unemployment

3.2%

4.9%

Bachelor's degree or higher

39.4%

40.5%

Average commute

28.4 min

25.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

54°F

51°F

Choose Bremerton for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Bremerton profile →

Choose Olympia for

+ Median home value
+ Average commute

Full Olympia profile →

Bremerton vs Olympia — frequently asked

Is Bremerton cheaper than Olympia?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bremerton and Olympia metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Bremerton or Olympia?: Bremerton has the higher median household income — $109,052 versus $98,264 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Bremerton or Olympia?: A paycheck stretches further in Bremerton. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $103,262 there versus $94,785 in Olympia.
Which has cheaper rent, Bremerton or Olympia?: Rents are close — $1,869/mo in the Bremerton metro versus $1,829/mo in Olympia (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).