Cost of living in Birch Bay, Washington

Birch Bay, Washington has about 10,837 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $477,200.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Whatcom County is $1,872 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Birch Bay. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Bellingham, WA metro area, prices sit at 103.3 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Washington does not tax wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.5% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Birch Bay's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Washington home paid 14.71¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Birch Bay's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in Washington was $5.478 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,629.44 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Washington shares this price.

Among 355 places we list in Washington with a rent figure, 260 have higher typical rent than Birch Bay.