Photo: Yuet Man Lee · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Point Roberts costs more to live in than 74% of U.S. towns
Up 1.1% in a year, 34% below the Washington typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Bellingham, WA metro area ($82K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Point Roberts’ area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($82K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 34% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 56% of renters.
In dollars
- $386Ktypical home, 34% below the Washington typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,480a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 103prices across the Bellingham metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 113)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$82K, Bellingham-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 34%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Point Roberts
What’s behind Point Roberts’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Point Roberts is more affordable than 26% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Washington: up 10.9% in five years, against 10.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10.9% in five years
About the same pace as Washington (10.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Point Roberts | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $243,000 | $324,000 |
| 2018 | $254,000 | $359,000 |
| 2019 | $275,000 | $387,000 |
| 2020 | $296,000 | $410,000 |
| 2021 | $327,000 | $467,000 |
| 2022 | $356,000 | $549,000 |
| 2023 | $368,000 | $568,000 |
| 2024 | $367,000 | $577,000 |
| 2025 | $375,000 | $600,000 |
| 2026 | $391,000 | $597,000 |
| September 2026 | $386,000 | $588,000 |
A typical Point Roberts home worth $239K in October 2016 is worth about $386K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Point Roberts’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $54K short of a typical Point Roberts home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,480 a month here, $740 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Point Roberts’s typical property tax (0.62% 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 $1,480
Renters already here pay a median of $1,095, 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 (Bellingham, WA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs below the Washington norm
The median bill is $3,015 (Washington: $4,556), 0.62% 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 Point Roberts
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Bellingham, 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 | 103 | WA 107 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 105 | WA 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 100 | WA 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | 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.
Point Roberts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Roberts | C | $386K | $484K | 0.62% | $1,480 |
Questions about the cost of living in Point Roberts
Is Point Roberts expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Point Roberts costs more than 74% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living. The typical home costs 5.9 years of the median household income of the Bellingham, WA metro area ($82K).
How much does a house cost in Point Roberts?
About $386K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.1% in a year. The Washington typical home is $588K.
What salary do you need to live in Point Roberts?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $95,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,220 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $59,000.
How much is rent in Point Roberts?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,480 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,095 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Point Roberts?
The median bill is $3,015 a year, 0.62% of the median home value (Washington: $4,556, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Point Roberts going up?
Yes: up 1.1% in the past year and 10.9% in five years, against 10.5% across Washington (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Point Roberts 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, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community 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.