First African Baptist Church and Parsonage · Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 3.0Homes in Waycross cost about 1.6 years of local pay, but renters are stretched more than prices suggest
More affordable than 68% of U.S. towns, #49 of 263 in Georgia. Up 3.4% in a year, 56% below the Georgia typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Waycross, GA micro area ($52K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, Waycross is one of the least expensive places in Georgia. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Waycross-area incomes are lower too ($52K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 0.97% of a home’s value a year (Georgia: 0.77%), and 60% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $144Ktypical home, 56% below the Georgia typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,070a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$52K, Waycross-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 60%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Georgia: 52%Census 2020–24
- 12%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Waycross, in brief
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Waycross home runs about $870 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070. Can I afford it? ↓
A burst of building in 2025
Waycross permitted 84 new homes in 2025, 90% of them in buildings with two or more homes, in a decade when most years saw only a handful. That’s 6.1 per 1,000 residents, against 6 across Georgia. New homes ↓
About half of Waycross rents
54% of households rent their home, 2,685 in all, against 34% across Georgia. Renting ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Waycross’ homes were built before 1969, against 1992 for Georgia as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 110 homes permitted in Waycross’ past 10 years, 74% were in buildings with two or more homes, not single-family houses. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Waycross’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Waycross is more affordable than 68% of U.S. towns, #49 of 263 in Georgia. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Georgia: up 19.6% in five years, against 20.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 3.4% in a year
Faster than Georgia (-0.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Waycross | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $78,000 | $172,000 |
| 2018 | $81,000 | $185,000 |
| 2019 | $89,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $95,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $106,000 | $239,000 |
| 2022 | $130,000 | $291,000 |
| 2023 | $141,000 | $321,000 |
| 2024 | $145,000 | $333,000 |
| 2025 | $148,000 | $337,000 |
| 2026 | $143,000 | $331,000 |
| September 2026 | $144,000 | $329,000 |
A typical Waycross home worth $77K in October 2016 is worth about $144K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 15 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 1.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Waycross’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Waycross home, with $56K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070 a month here, $200 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Waycross’s typical property tax (0.97% 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 $1,070
Renters already here pay a median of $768, 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 (Ware County, GA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
84 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 84 new homes in Waycross in 2025: 8 single-family houses and 76 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $6.7 million to build. That's 6.1 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Georgia as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Waycross has permitted 110 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Waycross's population fell by 707 even though 2 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Georgia: 2.6 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 53 | 7 | 46 | $4.6 million |
| 2025 | 84 | 8 | 76 | $6.7 million |
| 2024 | 10 | 7 | 3 | $2 million |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $450,000 |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $798,000 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $516,000 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $86,000 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $86,000 |
| 2009 | 7 | 5 | 2 | $883,000 |
| 2008 | 7 | 5 | 2 | $454,000 |
| 2007 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $662,000 |
| 2006 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $861,000 |
| 2005 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $927,000 |
| 2004 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $795,000 |
| 2003 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2002 | 49 | 49 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2001 | 22 | 14 | 8 | $1.5 million |
| 2000 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.1 million |
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 $818, under the Georgia median of $2,341, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.97% a year, against 0.77% 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+”.
Waycross vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Waycross has the lowest. Sunnyside and Deenwood have no Zillow value, so they are 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waycross | B+ | $144K | $84K | 0.97% | $1,070 |
| Sunnyside | B | — | $155K | 0.75% | $1,020 |
| Deenwood | C+ | — | $138K | 0.88% | $1,050 |
“—” 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 Waycross
Is Waycross expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Waycross costs less than 68% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #49 of 263 in Georgia. The typical home costs 1.6 years of the median household income of the Waycross, GA micro area ($52K).
How much does a house cost in Waycross?
About $144K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.4% in a year. The Georgia typical home is $329K.
What salary do you need to live in Waycross?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $37,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $870 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $43,000.
How much is rent in Waycross?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,070 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $768 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Waycross?
The median bill is $818 a year, 0.97% of the median home value (Georgia: $2,341, 0.77%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Waycross going up?
Yes: up 3.4% in the past year and 19.6% in five years, against 20.9% across Georgia (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Waycross 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, May 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.