City comparison
Spokane, WA is about 175 miles (275 km) from Yakima, WA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 h 30 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 Spokane, WA to Yakima, WA takes about 20 min, covering roughly 175 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.
Spokane has a population of 227,922, vs 96,764 in Yakima — about 2.4× larger by population. By land area, Spokane covers about 69 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 | Spokane | Yakima | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,060/mo | $1,014/mo | 4.5% higher in Spokane |
| Median home value | $286,900 | $243,300 | 17.9% higher in Spokane |
| Median household income | $63,316 | $55,734 | 13.6% higher in Spokane |
| Groceries index | 104.9 | 104.9 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 94.3 | 94.9 | 0.7% higher in Yakima |
| Transportation index | 99.9 | 99.9 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 99.9 | 99.9 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Spokane, you'd need $90,368 in Yakima to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Yakima, WA is about 9.6% cheaper overall than Spokane, WA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 31% higher in Spokane than in Yakima. If you earn $80,000 in Spokane, you'd need about $72,295 in Yakima to keep the same standard of living.