Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Vandalia costs less to live in than 62% of U.S. towns
It ranks #464 of 993 in Ohio for affordability. Up 3.5% in a year, close to the Ohio typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro area ($72K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Dayton metro earn ($72K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.7 years of metro income, and 31% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $240Ktypical home, 2% below the Ohio typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,150a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 93prices across the Dayton metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 73)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$72K, Dayton-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 31%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Ohio: 46%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Vandalia
Rent is easier on renters here
31% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 46% across Ohio. A standard two-bedroom is 19% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Very little new building
Vandalia permitted 77 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.5 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Ohio, the pace in 2025 was 3.3. In 2025, Vandalia permitted 25. 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 Vandalia’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Vandalia is more affordable than 62% of U.S. towns, #464 of 993 in Ohio. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Ohio: up 33.5% in five years, against 29.8% statewide (Zillow).
Up 33.5% in five years
Faster than Ohio (29.8%).
Show as a table
| January | Vandalia | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $125,000 | $131,000 |
| 2018 | $132,000 | $139,000 |
| 2019 | $139,000 | $148,000 |
| 2020 | $148,000 | $156,000 |
| 2021 | $165,000 | $175,000 |
| 2022 | $183,000 | $193,000 |
| 2023 | $199,000 | $208,000 |
| 2024 | $212,000 | $221,000 |
| 2025 | $225,000 | $234,000 |
| 2026 | $237,000 | $242,000 |
| September 2026 | $240,000 | $246,000 |
A typical Vandalia home worth $123K in October 2016 is worth about $240K 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 18 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 2.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Vandalia’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Vandalia home, with $14K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month here, $440 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Vandalia’s typical property tax (1.65% 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 $1,150
Renters already here pay a median of $882, 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 (Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
25 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 25 new homes in Vandalia in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $10.6 million to build. That's 1.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Ohio (3.3). Over the past 10 years, Vandalia has permitted 77 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Vandalia's population fell by 37 even though 46 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Ohio: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 12 | 10 | 2 | $4.7 million |
| 2025 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $10.6 million |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | 6 | $1.8 million |
| 2023 | 15 | 7 | 8 | $1.6 million |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $610,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $765,000 |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2018 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $365,000 |
| 2015 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $880,000 |
| 2014 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2013 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $525,000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $635,000 |
| 2009 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2008 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| 2007 | 44 | 44 | 0 | $8.8 million |
| 2006 | 42 | 42 | 0 | $8.8 million |
| 2005 | 68 | 68 | 0 | $13.5 million |
| 2004 | 63 | 63 | 0 | $12.7 million |
| 2003 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $6.7 million |
| 2002 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $7.4 million |
| 2001 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2000 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $5.9 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Ohio norm
The median bill is $3,260 (Ohio: $2,822), 1.65% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Vandalia
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro area, or Ohio. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 93 | OH 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | OH 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 95 | OH 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | OH 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Vandalia vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Vandalia has the 3rd-lowest. Bethel Township and Monroe Township and Butler Township and Harrison 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vandalia | B | $240K | $197K | 1.65% | $1,150 |
| Butler Township | C− | — | $268K | 1.86% | $1,160 |
| Huber Heights | B− | $213K | $177K | 1.59% | $1,400 |
| Dayton | B+ | $138K | $101K | 1.66% | $1,200 |
| Bethel Township | C+ | — | $308K | 1.31% | $1,300 |
| Harrison Township | B+ | — | $94K | 2.05% | $1,180 |
| Monroe Township | B− | — | $277K | 1.14% | $1,360 |
“—” 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 Vandalia
Is Vandalia expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Vandalia costs less than 62% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #464 of 993 in Ohio. The typical home costs 2.7 years of the median household income of the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro area ($72K).
How much does a house cost in Vandalia?
About $240K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.5% in a year. The Ohio typical home is $246K.
What salary do you need to live in Vandalia?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $68,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,590 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $46,000.
How much is rent in Vandalia?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,150 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $882 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Vandalia?
The median bill is $3,260 a year, 1.65% of the median home value (Ohio: $2,822, 1.31%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Vandalia going up?
Yes: up 3.5% in the past year and 33.5% in five years, against 29.8% across Ohio (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Vandalia 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.