Photo: Jeremy Weate · CC BY 2.0Measured against area pay, Willits costs more to live in than 91% of U.S. towns
It ranks #374 of 846 in California for affordability. Down 6.4% in a year, 56% below the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Ukiah, CA micro area ($68K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Ukiah-area micro earn ($68K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 5.4 years of area income, and 50% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $338Ktypical home, 56% below the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,590a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$68K, Ukiah-area income
- 21%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 50%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 50%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Willits’ housing numbers say
Prices are 33% below their 2022 peak
The typical Willits home peaked at $508K in February 2022 and is worth about $338K now. Across California, values are only slightly off their high. Over five years, Willits is down 33%. Price trend ↓
Most Willits households rent
59% of households rent their home, 1,196 in all, against 44% across California. Renting ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Willits’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Willits is more affordable than 9% of U.S. towns, #374 of 846 in California. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged California: the typical Willits home is down 32.8% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Down 32.8% in five years
Slower than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Willits | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $369,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $410,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $412,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $440,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $470,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $508,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $462,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $415,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $384,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $356,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $338,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Willits home worth $361K in October 2016 is worth about $338K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Willits’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $68K short of a typical Willits home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,590 a month here, $400 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Willits’s typical property tax (0.76% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,590
Renters already here pay a median of $1,197, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Mendocino County, CA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Willits in 2025. That's 0.2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, Willits has permitted 45 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Willits gained 100 residents while 53 new homes were permitted: about 1.9 new residents per new home, fewer than across California (2.7): building outpaced growth.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | 8 | $690,000 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $908,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $652,000 |
| 2019 | 6 | 2 | 4 | $1.1 million |
| 2018 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2016 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2015 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2014 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $638,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $213,000 |
| 2011 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $419,000 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2007 | 30 | 20 | 10 | $5.8 million |
| 2006 | 8 | 6 | 2 | $833,000 |
| 2005 | 13 | 5 | 8 | $1.7 million |
| 2004 | 17 | 7 | 10 | $2.2 million |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $163,000 |
| 2002 | 11 | 3 | 8 | $1.2 million |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $419,000 |
| 2000 | 15 | 3 | 12 | $1.1 million |
Willits's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $2,827, under the California median of $5,124, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.76% a year, against 0.70% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Willits vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Willits has the lowest. Brooktrails has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willits | D | $338K | $371K | 0.76% | $1,590 |
| Brooktrails | D | — | $372K | 0.66% | $1,590 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Willits
Is Willits expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Willits costs more than 91% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #374 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 5.4 years of the median household income of the Ukiah, CA micro area ($68K).
How much does a house cost in Willits?
About $338K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 6.4% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Willits?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $85,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,990 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $64,000.
How much is rent in Willits?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,590 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,197 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Willits?
The median bill is $2,827 a year, 0.76% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Willits going up?
No: down 6.4% in the past year and -32.8% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Willits buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.