City comparison
Seattle, WA is about 100 miles (175 km) from Yakima, WA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 150 miles, or about 2 h 15 min 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 Seattle, WA to Yakima, WA takes about 13 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.
Seattle has a population of 734,603, vs 96,764 in Yakima — about 7.6× larger by population. By land area, Seattle covers about 84 sq mi vs 28 sq mi for Yakima.
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 | Seattle | Yakima | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,945/mo | $1,014/mo | 91.8% higher in Seattle |
| Median home value | $879,900 | $243,300 | 261.7% higher in Seattle |
| Median household income | $116,068 | $55,734 | 108.3% higher in Seattle |
| Groceries index | 103.0 | 104.9 | 1.8% higher in Yakima |
| Utilities index | 92.5 | 94.9 | 2.6% higher in Yakima |
| Transportation index | 108.1 | 99.9 | 8.1% higher in Seattle |
| Healthcare index | 108.8 | 99.9 | 8.9% higher in Seattle |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Seattle, you'd need $71,645 in Yakima to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Yakima, WA is about 28.4% cheaper overall than Seattle, WA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 107% higher in Seattle than in Yakima. If you earn $80,000 in Seattle, you'd need about $57,316 in Yakima to keep the same standard of living.