Is Kingston cheaper than Olympia?

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

Which has higher household income, Kingston or Olympia?

Olympia has the higher median household income — $98,264 versus $87,847 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 12% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Kingston or Olympia?

A paycheck stretches further in Olympia. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,785 there versus $87,229 in Kingston.

Which has cheaper rent, Kingston or Olympia?

Kingston has cheaper rent — a median of $1,586/mo versus $1,829/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Kingston vs Olympia

Metro-area medians — Kingston, NY Metro Area vs Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Olympia comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Kingston and Olympia cost about the same to live in, but Olympia households earn about 12% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Olympia.

Their widest everyday difference: the typical commute is shorter in Olympia — about 25.9 min versus 27.9 min.

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

Kingston, NY

$57,794

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$57,387

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 $1,756/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

Kingston

Olympia

Livability (CityLedger)

57/100

67/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

100.7

103.7

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$87,229

$94,785

Median household income

$87,847

$98,264

Median rent

$1,586/mo

$1,829/mo

Median home value

$389,100

$525,500

Unemployment

5.2%

4.9%

Bachelor's degree or higher

39%

40.5%

Average commute

27.9 min

25.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

49°F

51°F

Choose Kingston for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value

Full Kingston profile →

Choose Olympia for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Olympia profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Kingston and Olympia on cost, income, size, and education.

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Kingston vs Olympia — frequently asked

Is Kingston cheaper than Olympia?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Kingston and Olympia metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Kingston or Olympia?: Olympia has the higher median household income — $98,264 versus $87,847 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 12% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Kingston or Olympia?: A paycheck stretches further in Olympia. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,785 there versus $87,229 in Kingston.
Which has cheaper rent, Kingston or Olympia?: Kingston has cheaper rent — a median of $1,586/mo versus $1,829/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).