City comparison
Sammamish, WA is about 100 miles (150 km) from Yakima, WA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Sammamish, WA to Yakima, WA takes about 12 min, covering roughly 100 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Yakima has a population of 96,764, vs 66,586 in Sammamish — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, Yakima covers about 28 sq mi vs 20 sq mi for Sammamish.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Sammamish | Yakima | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,627/mo | $1,014/mo | 159.1% higher in Sammamish |
| Median home value | $1,139,100 | $243,300 | 368.2% higher in Sammamish |
| Median household income | $215,047 | $55,734 | 285.8% higher in Sammamish |
| Groceries index | 104.0 | 104.9 | 0.9% higher in Yakima |
| Utilities index | 95.7 | 94.9 | 0.9% higher in Sammamish |
| Transportation index | 106.6 | 99.9 | 6.7% higher in Sammamish |
| Healthcare index | 106.6 | 99.9 | 6.7% higher in Sammamish |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Sammamish, you'd need $70,532 in Yakima to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Yakima, WA is about 29.5% cheaper overall than Sammamish, WA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 113% higher in Sammamish than in Yakima. If you earn $80,000 in Sammamish, you'd need about $56,426 in Yakima to keep the same standard of living.