Is Reno cheaper than Spokane?

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

Which has higher household income, Reno or Spokane?

Reno has the higher median household income — $89,159 versus $84,350 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Reno or Spokane?

A paycheck stretches further in Reno. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $88,264 there versus $84,059 in Spokane.

Which has cheaper rent, Reno or Spokane?

Spokane has cheaper rent — a median of $1,405/mo versus $1,680/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Reno vs Spokane

Metro-area medians — Reno, NV Metro Area vs Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Spokane comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Reno and Spokane cost about the same to live in, but Reno households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Reno.

Their widest everyday difference: Spokane has the tighter job market — 4.3% unemployment versus 5.6%.

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

Reno, NV

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$60,698

real value after local prices

Spokane, WA

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$61,102

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Spokane leaves you about $404/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

Reno

Spokane

Livability (CityLedger)

57/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

101.0

100.3

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$88,264

$84,059

Median household income

$89,159

$84,350

Median rent

$1,680/mo

$1,405/mo

Median home value

$535,700

$434,300

Unemployment

5.6%

4.3%

Bachelor's degree or higher

34.9%

33.7%

Average commute

25.1 min

22.5 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

55°F

46°F

Choose Reno for

+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Reno profile →

Choose Spokane for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Spokane profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Reno and Spokane on cost, income, size, and education.

Reno vs Lancaster→Reno vs Boise City→Reno vs Ogden→Spokane vs Harrisburg→Spokane vs Lancaster→Spokane vs Eugene→

Reno vs Spokane — frequently asked

Is Reno cheaper than Spokane?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Reno and Spokane metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Reno or Spokane?: Reno has the higher median household income — $89,159 versus $84,350 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Reno or Spokane?: A paycheck stretches further in Reno. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $88,264 there versus $84,059 in Spokane.
Which has cheaper rent, Reno or Spokane?: Spokane has cheaper rent — a median of $1,405/mo versus $1,680/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).