Median home price: $549,500

Cost-of-living index: 199

Nonretail spending index: 200

Location: 18 miles east of Seattle

Population: 46,340


Next door to the Redmond home of Microsoft and nestled under the looming Cascade Mountains to the east, Sammamish is a growing Seattle suburb with prime real estate along the eastern shore of Lake Sammamish. The town boasts great schools, numerous parks, and a championship golf course at the Sahalee Country Club.