In general, Whitehorse has the lowest prices in the Yukon. Because Watson Lake is on the Alaska Highway, a major supply route from the south, some prices are actually a bit lower than Whitehorse. As the table shows, however, other prices are substantially higher. On average, it costs almost 7 percent more to live in Watson Lake than in Whitehorse.
The 2001 Census showed 360 private dwellings in the Town of Watson Lake, excluding the First Nation settlement. Houses in the Town of Watson Lake were estimated as having an average value of $106,000 in 2001 and averaged two to three bedrooms. Although the 2001 Census showed that people renting homes paid an average of $667 per month, a survey conducted regularly by the Yukon government reports that rental accommodation in the community costs an average of $575.
An additional 100 to 120 private dwellings were counted in the First Nations settlements of Upper Liard, Two Mile, and Two and One-half Mile by the Yukon Region First Nations Profiles of 1998. About 80 percent of the First Nations homes were reported as administered by the Liard First Nation, with most of the remaining 20 percent owned by the householders.
