Most of Bellingham is in Whatcom County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $45.17 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 5 ZIP codes in Bellingham with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,470 to $1,560 a month. At the middle rent, $1,490, a full-time job would need to pay $47.35 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98225 | Whatcom County | $1,530/mo | $48.80/hr |
| 98226 | Whatcom County | $1,470/mo | $46.62/hr |
| 98227 | Whatcom County | $1,490/mo | $47.35/hr |
| 98228 | Whatcom County | $1,490/mo | $47.35/hr |
| 98229 | Whatcom County | $1,560/mo | $49.88/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Bellingham needs to pay at least $45.17 an hour before taxes, about $93,955 a year. That is the figure for Whatcom County, where the typical studio rent is $1,430 a month.
Yes. Across the 5 ZIP codes in Bellingham with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,470 to $1,560 a month. At the middle rent of $1,490, the pay needed would be $47.35 an hour.
The minimum wage in Whatcom County is $17.13 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 2.6 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads