Photo: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Enumclaw costs more to live in than 68% of U.S. towns
It ranks #56 of 285 in Washington for affordability. About the same as a year ago, 13% above the Washington typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area ($115K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Enumclaw’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($115K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 17% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 47% of renters.
In dollars
- $662Ktypical home, 13% above the Washington typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,160a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 111prices across the Seattle metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 151)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$115K, Seattle-area income
- 20%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 47%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Washington: 50%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Enumclaw
What’s behind Enumclaw’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Enumclaw is more affordable than 32% of U.S. towns, #56 of 285 in Washington. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Washington: up 12.0% in five years, against 10.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 12% in five years
About the same pace as Washington (10.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Enumclaw | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $371,000 | $324,000 |
| 2018 | $408,000 | $359,000 |
| 2019 | $430,000 | $387,000 |
| 2020 | $450,000 | $410,000 |
| 2021 | $522,000 | $467,000 |
| 2022 | $610,000 | $549,000 |
| 2023 | $624,000 | $568,000 |
| 2024 | $636,000 | $577,000 |
| 2025 | $673,000 | $600,000 |
| 2026 | $671,000 | $597,000 |
| September 2026 | $662,000 | $588,000 |
A typical Enumclaw home worth $363K in October 2016 is worth about $662K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 2.8 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Enumclaw’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $204K short of a typical Enumclaw home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,160 a month here, $1,720 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Enumclaw’s typical property tax (0.75% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,160
Renters already here pay a median of $1,954, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
77 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 77 new homes in Enumclaw in 2025: 53 single-family houses and 24 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $26.6 million to build. That's 6 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Washington (4.6). Over the past 10 years, Enumclaw has permitted 848 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Enumclaw gained 1,874 residents while 517 new homes were permitted: about 3.6 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Washington: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 24 | 24 | 0 | $11.2 million |
| 2025 | 77 | 53 | 24 | $26.6 million |
| 2024 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $9 million |
| 2023 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $16.4 million |
| 2022 | 67 | 52 | 15 | $21.5 million |
| 2021 | 66 | 66 | 0 | $18.2 million |
| 2020 | 158 | 158 | 0 | $41.3 million |
| 2019 | 179 | 179 | 0 | $44.7 million |
| 2018 | 184 | 184 | 0 | $48.8 million |
| 2017 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $9.1 million |
| 2016 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $6.7 million |
| 2015 | 41 | 41 | 0 | $10.8 million |
| 2014 | 15 | 13 | 2 | $3.1 million |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $422,000 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $360,000 |
| 2011 | 7 | 5 | 2 | $1.3 million |
| 2010 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| 2009 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2008 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2007 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $8.5 million |
| 2006 | 32 | 26 | 6 | $7.7 million |
| 2005 | 22 | 10 | 12 | $3.5 million |
| 2004 | 10 | 8 | 2 | $1.9 million |
| 2003 | 32 | 19 | 13 | $4.6 million |
| 2002 | 30 | 24 | 6 | $3.6 million |
| 2001 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $3.9 million |
| 2000 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.6 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Washington norm
The median bill is $3,933 (Washington: $4,556), 0.75% of a home’s value a year, against 0.81% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Enumclaw
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, or Washington. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 111 | WA 107 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 104 | WA 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 93 | WA 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 107 | WA 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Enumclaw and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enumclaw | C | $662K | $525K | 0.75% | $2,160 |
Questions about the cost of living in Enumclaw
Is Enumclaw expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Enumclaw costs more than 68% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #56 of 285 in Washington. The typical home costs 4.6 years of the median household income of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area ($115K).
How much does a house cost in Enumclaw?
About $662K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.5% in a year. The Washington typical home is $588K.
What salary do you need to live in Enumclaw?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $166,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,880 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $86,000.
How much is rent in Enumclaw?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,160 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,954 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Enumclaw?
The median bill is $3,933 a year, 0.75% of the median home value (Washington: $4,556, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Enumclaw going up?
No: down 0.5% in the past year and 12.0% in five years, against 10.5% across Washington (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Enumclaw buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.