Photo: USDA Forest Service photo by Kyle Brooks · CC BY-SA 4.0Homes in Nelsonville cost about 1.8 years of local pay, but renters are stretched more than prices suggest
More affordable than 66% of U.S. towns, #409 of 993 in Ohio. About the same as a year ago, 54% below the Ohio typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Athens, OH micro area ($56K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
In dollars, Nelsonville is one of the least expensive places in Ohio. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Athens-area incomes are lower too ($56K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.30% of a home’s value a year (Ohio: 1.31%), and 50% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $114Ktypical home, 54% below the Ohio typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $970a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$56K, Athens-area income
- 17%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 Ohio: 46%Census 2020–24
- 19%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Nelsonville, in brief
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Nelsonville home runs about $720 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $970. Can I afford it? ↓
Most Nelsonville households rent
61% of households rent their home, 797 in all, against 33% across Ohio. Renting ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Nelsonville’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Nelsonville is more affordable than 66% of U.S. towns, #409 of 993 in Ohio. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have lagged Ohio: the typical Nelsonville home is up 21.6% in five years, against 29.8% statewide (Zillow).
Up 21.6% in five years
Slower than Ohio (29.8%).
Show as a table
| January | Nelsonville | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $68,000 | $131,000 |
| 2018 | $68,000 | $139,000 |
| 2019 | $76,000 | $148,000 |
| 2020 | $81,000 | $156,000 |
| 2021 | $94,000 | $175,000 |
| 2022 | $97,000 | $193,000 |
| 2023 | $103,000 | $208,000 |
| 2024 | $107,000 | $221,000 |
| 2025 | $116,000 | $234,000 |
| 2026 | $114,000 | $242,000 |
| September 2026 | $114,000 | $246,000 |
A typical Nelsonville home worth $67K in October 2016 is worth about $114K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.8 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Nelsonville’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Nelsonville home, with $93K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month here, $250 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Nelsonville’s typical property tax (1.30% 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 $970
Renters already here pay a median of $773, 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 (Hocking County, OH HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs below the Ohio norm
The median bill is $1,286 (Ohio: $2,822), 1.30% of a home’s value a year, against 1.31% 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+”.
Nelsonville vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Nelsonville has the lowest. York Township and Ward Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelsonville | B+ | $114K | $99K | 1.30% | $970 |
| York Township | B+ | — | $125K | 1.10% | $980 |
| Ward Township | A | — | $115K | 0.95% | $970 |
“—” 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 Nelsonville
Is Nelsonville expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Nelsonville costs less than 66% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #409 of 993 in Ohio. The typical home costs 1.8 years of the median household income of the Athens, OH micro area ($56K).
How much does a house cost in Nelsonville?
About $114K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.3% in a year. The Ohio typical home is $246K.
What salary do you need to live in Nelsonville?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $31,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $720 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $39,000.
How much is rent in Nelsonville?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $773 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Nelsonville?
The median bill is $1,286 a year, 1.30% of the median home value (Ohio: $2,822, 1.31%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Nelsonville going up?
No: down 0.3% in the past year and 21.6% in five years, against 29.8% across Ohio (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Nelsonville 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. 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.