Photo: Nicolas from Paris, France · CC BY-SA 2.0Measured against area pay, Grants Pass costs more to live in than 94% of U.S. towns
It ranks #122 of 142 in Oregon for affordability. About the same as a year ago, 19% below the Oregon typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Grants Pass, OR metro area ($60K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Grants Pass metro earn ($60K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 6.4 years of metro income, and 57% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $398Ktypical home, 19% below the Oregon typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,420a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 98prices across the Grants Pass metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 80)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 6.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$60K, Grants Pass-area income
- 24%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 57%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Oregon: 53%Census 2020–24
- 30%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Grants Pass’ housing numbers say
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Grants Pass gained 4,656 residents while 957 new homes were permitted: about 4.9 new residents per new home, against 2.6 across Oregon. 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 Grants Pass’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Grants Pass is more affordable than 6% of U.S. towns, #122 of 142 in Oregon. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Oregon: up 3.2% in five years, against 7.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 3.2% in five years
Slower than Oregon (7.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Grants Pass | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $249,000 | $310,000 |
| 2018 | $273,000 | $334,000 |
| 2019 | $290,000 | $352,000 |
| 2020 | $301,000 | $367,000 |
| 2021 | $339,000 | $408,000 |
| 2022 | $394,000 | $476,000 |
| 2023 | $397,000 | $487,000 |
| 2024 | $395,000 | $491,000 |
| 2025 | $400,000 | $500,000 |
| 2026 | $397,000 | $496,000 |
| September 2026 | $398,000 | $493,000 |
A typical Grants Pass home worth $242K in October 2016 is worth about $398K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A balanced market
About 4.9 months of supply: neither buyers nor sellers have a clear edge.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 6.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Grants Pass’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $157K short of a typical Grants Pass home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,420 a month here, $890 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Grants Pass’s typical property tax (0.69% 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 $1,420
Renters already here pay a median of $1,217, 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 (Grants Pass, OR MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
195 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 195 new homes in Grants Pass in 2025: 58 single-family houses and 137 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $42.5 million to build. That's 5 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Oregon (3.8). Over the past 10 years, Grants Pass has permitted 1,430 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Grants Pass gained 4,656 residents while 957 new homes were permitted: about 4.9 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Oregon: 2.6 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 54 | 46 | 8 | $16.4 million |
| 2025 | 195 | 58 | 137 | $42.5 million |
| 2024 | 94 | 66 | 28 | $23.6 million |
| 2023 | 103 | 66 | 37 | $29.8 million |
| 2022 | 177 | 85 | 92 | $33 million |
| 2021 | 162 | 94 | 68 | $31.2 million |
| 2020 | 174 | 124 | 50 | $36.6 million |
| 2019 | 114 | 80 | 34 | $22.6 million |
| 2018 | 126 | 103 | 23 | $27.4 million |
| 2017 | 156 | 134 | 22 | $32.9 million |
| 2016 | 129 | 125 | 4 | $34.9 million |
| 2015 | 173 | 109 | 64 | $29.6 million |
| 2014 | 75 | 71 | 4 | $15.2 million |
| 2013 | 78 | 76 | 2 | $15.5 million |
| 2012 | 36 | 34 | 2 | $6.9 million |
| 2011 | 20 | 18 | 2 | $4.1 million |
| 2010 | 50 | 38 | 12 | $8.4 million |
| 2009 | 60 | 58 | 2 | $11.3 million |
| 2008 | 91 | 82 | 9 | $15 million |
| 2007 | 267 | 235 | 32 | $38.7 million |
| 2006 | 343 | 259 | 84 | $54.7 million |
| 2005 | 522 | 395 | 127 | $86.6 million |
| 2004 | 476 | 351 | 125 | $78.8 million |
| 2003 | 386 | 257 | 129 | $61.1 million |
| 2002 | 306 | 193 | 113 | $41 million |
| 2001 | 217 | 210 | 7 | $28.8 million |
| 2000 | 231 | 176 | 55 | $24.4 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Oregon norm
The median bill is $2,626 (Oregon: $3,876), 0.69% of a home’s value a year, against 0.81% 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 Grants Pass
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Grants Pass, OR metro area, or Oregon. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 98 | OR 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 105 | OR 105 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 104 | OR 107 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 100 | OR 100 | 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.
Grants Pass vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Grants Pass has the lowest. Redwood 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants Pass | D | $398K | $383K | 0.69% | $1,420 |
| Redwood | C− | — | $398K | 0.50% | $1,560 |
“—” 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 Grants Pass
Is Grants Pass expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Grants Pass costs more than 94% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #122 of 142 in Oregon. The typical home costs 6.4 years of the median household income of the Grants Pass, OR metro area ($60K).
How much does a house cost in Grants Pass?
About $398K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.1% in a year. The Oregon typical home is $493K.
What salary do you need to live in Grants Pass?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $99,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,310 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $57,000.
How much is rent in Grants Pass?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,420 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,217 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Grants Pass?
The median bill is $2,626 a year, 0.69% of the median home value (Oregon: $3,876, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Grants Pass going up?
No: down 0.1% in the past year and 3.2% in five years, against 7.1% across Oregon (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Grants Pass 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.