Even on the area’s higher pay, High Bridge costs more to live in than 81% of U.S. towns
It ranks #130 of 285 in Washington for affordability.
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. High Bridge’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: 20% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 100% of renters.
In dollars
- $2,660a 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
- 8.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$115K, Seattle-area income
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in High Bridge
What’s behind High Bridge’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, High Bridge is more affordable than 19% of U.S. towns, #130 of 285 in Washington. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 52% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around High Bridge rose 52% over the past 5 years, faster than across Washington (44%). Prices were about flat last year. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical High Bridge home at roughly $1,086,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $1.09M.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around High Bridge, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 9 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 8.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to High Bridge’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $627K short of a typical High Bridge home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,660 a month here, $3,690 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, High Bridge’s typical property tax (0.73% 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 $2,660
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.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $6,997 (Washington: $4,556), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.73% 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 High Bridge
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.
High Bridge vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for High Bridge. Cottage Lake and Maltby have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Bridge | C− | — | $964K | 0.73% | $2,660 |
| Maltby | D | — | $1.0M | 0.83% | $2,920 |
| Cottage Lake | D | — | $1.2M | 0.81%+ | $2,960 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “+”: the Census reports the tax bill only as $10,000 or more, so the rate is at least that.
Questions about the cost of living in High Bridge
Is High Bridge expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, High Bridge costs more than 81% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #130 of 285 in Washington. The typical home costs 8.4 years of the median household income of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area ($115K).
How much is rent in High Bridge?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,660 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in High Bridge?
The median bill is $6,997 a year, 0.73% of the median home value (Washington: $4,556, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What High Bridge buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.