I ran across a home price comparison index by Coldwell Banker and plugged in some numbers to see how May’s median price of $259,739 in Pierce County stacks up against markets around the country. (The index measures what the market value of your home would fetch in the cities you select.)

You get more for your money in Austin, Texas, and Milwaukee, Wis. And less in Denver and Salt Lake City.

Here’s a sampling of cities and prices:

Milwaukee: $224,718
Pensacola: $166,350
Salt Lake City: $283,086
Austin:$ 169,268
Denver: $277,249
Anchorage: $236,392
Burlington, VT: $256,821
Bethesda, MD: $656,644
Boston: $954,322
San Diego: $429,007
Albuquerque, NM: $218,881
Charlotte, NC: $178,023

Go here to run your own comparisons.

The latest foreclosure stats show Washington state holding its middle-of-the-pack place in the nation, ranked No. 27 for foreclosure filings in May by RealtyTrac, which tracks default and auction notices and bank repossessions.

Washington saw a 17.6 percent rise in foreclosure filings compared to the same month in 2007, according to the report. Nationwide, RealtyTrac said filings rose year-over-year for the 29th consecutive month and in May record the highest foreclosure-filing rate since the report began in 2005. One in every 483 households received a foreclosure filing during the month, according to RealtyTrac.

UPDATE
Pierce County was No. 2 in the state for foreclosure filings, according to RealtyTrac, with one for every 574 households. Interestingly, though, that number was a 6 percent decrease from the same month in 2007. Cowlitz County came in No. 1.