Photo: KJRSeattle · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Sequim costs more to live in than 88% of U.S. towns
It ranks #183 of 285 in Washington for affordability. Down 1.9% in a year, 5% below the Washington typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Port Angeles, WA micro area ($70K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Port Angeles-area micro earn ($70K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 5.8 years of area income, and 56% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $557Ktypical home, 5% below the Washington typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,360a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$70K, Port Angeles-area income
- 20%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 56%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Washington: 50%Census 2020–24
- 28%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Sequim
Building at more than twice the Washington pace
Builders were permitted 93 new homes in 2025: 11 per 1,000 residents, against 4.6 across Washington. That’s 670 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
New building is almost all single-family houses
Of the 670 homes permitted in Sequim’s past 10 years, 98% were single-family houses. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Sequim’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Sequim is more affordable than 12% of U.S. towns, #183 of 285 in Washington. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Washington: up 10.5% in five years, against 10.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10.5% in five years
About the same pace as Washington (10.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Sequim | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $299,000 | $324,000 |
| 2018 | $330,000 | $359,000 |
| 2019 | $362,000 | $387,000 |
| 2020 | $388,000 | $410,000 |
| 2021 | $433,000 | $467,000 |
| 2022 | $524,000 | $549,000 |
| 2023 | $544,000 | $568,000 |
| 2024 | $552,000 | $577,000 |
| 2025 | $572,000 | $600,000 |
| 2026 | $568,000 | $597,000 |
| September 2026 | $557,000 | $588,000 |
A typical Sequim home worth $292K in October 2016 is worth about $557K 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 2.7 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 5.8 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Sequim’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $276K short of a typical Sequim home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,360 a month here, $1,880 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Sequim’s typical property tax (0.69% 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 $1,360
Renters already here pay a median of $1,195, 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 (Clallam County, WA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
93 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 93 new homes in Sequim in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $30.4 million to build. That's 11 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Washington (4.6). Over the past 10 years, Sequim has permitted 670 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Sequim gained 1,418 residents while 481 new homes were permitted: about 2.9 new residents per new home, about the same as across Washington (2.7).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 41 | 38 | 3 | $12.9 million |
| 2025 | 93 | 93 | 0 | $30.4 million |
| 2024 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2023 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2022 | 55 | 55 | 0 | $13.3 million |
| 2021 | 73 | 73 | 0 | $20.2 million |
| 2020 | 87 | 87 | 0 | $24.1 million |
| 2019 | 74 | 74 | 0 | $20.5 million |
| 2018 | 115 | 101 | 14 | $28.4 million |
| 2017 | 80 | 80 | 0 | $16.6 million |
| 2016 | 69 | 69 | 0 | $14.3 million |
| 2015 | 59 | 59 | 0 | $14.1 million |
| 2014 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $8.1 million |
| 2013 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3.7 million |
| 2012 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| 2011 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $543,000 |
| 2009 | 19 | 11 | 8 | $3 million |
| 2008 | 44 | 28 | 16 | $8.5 million |
| 2007 | 441 | 131 | 310 | $63.3 million |
| 2006 | 129 | 129 | 0 | $24.3 million |
| 2005 | 324 | 206 | 118 | $33 million |
| 2004 | 112 | 112 | 0 | $15 million |
| 2003 | 141 | 81 | 60 | $17.4 million |
| 2002 | 66 | 66 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| 2001 | 49 | 41 | 8 | $5.5 million |
| 2000 | 56 | 56 | 0 | $5.5 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 $2,820 (Washington: $4,556), 0.69% 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+”.
Sequim vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Sequim has the lowest. Bell Hill and River Road have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequim | D | $557K | $409K | 0.69% | $1,360 |
| Bell Hill | D− | — | $847K | 0.71% | $1,360 |
| River Road | – | — | $389K | 0.63% | $1,360 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Sequim
Is Sequim expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Sequim costs more than 88% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #183 of 285 in Washington. The typical home costs 5.8 years of the median household income of the Port Angeles, WA micro area ($70K).
How much does a house cost in Sequim?
About $557K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.9% in a year. The Washington typical home is $588K.
What salary do you need to live in Sequim?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $139,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,240 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $54,000.
How much is rent in Sequim?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,360 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,195 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Sequim?
The median bill is $2,820 a year, 0.69% of the median home value (Washington: $4,556, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Sequim going up?
No: down 1.9% in the past year and 10.5% in five years, against 10.5% across Washington (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Sequim 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.