Mount Vista vs Vancouver

Which is the better fit for you?

Mount Vista, WA
60
Area Score
Top 47% nationally
Vancouver, WA
55
Area Score
Bottom 38% nationally

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Mount Vista receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Mount Vista to Vancouver

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 106.7 against 106.7 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,922 in Vancouver against $1,922 in Mount Vista.
The median home
21% less
$462,400 in Vancouver against $586,600 in Mount Vista.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 34°F in Vancouver against 34°F in Mount Vista; July highs are 81°F against 81°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Mount Vista
Vancouver
Opportunity: Mount Vista is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
59 · Top 45%
vs
54 · Bottom 46%
Growth: Vancouver is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
49 · Bottom 48%
vs
57 · Top 35%
Climate
73 · Top 36%
vs
73 · Top 36%
Physical resilience
65 · Top 43%
vs
65 · Top 43%
Housing affordability
53 · Bottom 25%
vs
53 · Bottom 25%
Schools: Mount Vista is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
43 · Bottom 41%
vs
12 · Bottom 5%
Access
90 · Bottom 41%
vs
90 · Bottom 42%
Economic stability: Mount Vista is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
65 · Top 35%
vs
58 · Top 50%

Measured values

MetricMount VistaVancouverSource period
Population10,764195,3002024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$100,293 — more favorable$81,3382024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$47,852 ±$3,992$45,636 ±$1,3822024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,059/sq mi4,002/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$586,600$462,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$2,041$1,702 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,922$1,922FY2026
Cost of living index106.7106.72023
Homeownership rate71.7%50.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.9%3.9%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.2%−1.2%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher38.7% — more favorable32.3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate6.0% — more favorable10.0%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)3,3471,29812 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents6.56.6 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−13.5%+17.9% — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Average July high81°F81°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low34°F34°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation37.5"37.5"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport10 mi3 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate23.1 min ±1.8 min24.6 min ±0.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age41.237.92024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools4632024-25 school year
Students per teacher18.317.8 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency53.0% — more favorable36.4%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency59.5% — more favorable51.1%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility46.4%53.8%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

Mount Vista

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.

Vancouver

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Mount Vista
—
Mount Vista: Your Score
60
Area Score
Vancouver
—
Vancouver: Your Score
55
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Mount Vista, WA · Vancouver, WA · How this is calculated: methodology