Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Pendleton costs more to live in than 73% of U.S. towns
It ranks #30 of 142 in Oregon for affordability. Up 3.2% in a year, 39% below the Oregon typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Hermiston-Pendleton, OR micro area ($68K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Hermiston-area micro earn ($68K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 4.2 years of area income, and 50% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $301Ktypical home, 39% below the Oregon typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,200a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$68K, Hermiston-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 Oregon: 53%Census 2020–24
- 22%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Pendleton’s housing numbers say
A burst of building in 2022
Pendleton permitted 285 new homes in 2022, 96% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 42 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 23. New homes ↓
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 664 homes permitted in Pendleton’s past 10 years, 72% 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 September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Pendleton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pendleton is more affordable than 27% of U.S. towns, #30 of 142 in Oregon. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Oregon: the typical Pendleton home is up 19.2% in five years, against 7.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 19.2% in five years
Faster than Oregon (7.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Pendleton | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $158,000 | $310,000 |
| 2018 | $168,000 | $334,000 |
| 2019 | $181,000 | $352,000 |
| 2020 | $200,000 | $367,000 |
| 2021 | $224,000 | $408,000 |
| 2022 | $265,000 | $476,000 |
| 2023 | $279,000 | $487,000 |
| 2024 | $279,000 | $491,000 |
| 2025 | $288,000 | $500,000 |
| 2026 | $296,000 | $496,000 |
| September 2026 | $301,000 | $493,000 |
A typical Pendleton home worth $157K in October 2016 is worth about $301K 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 14 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 4.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pendleton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $40K short of a typical Pendleton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,200 a month here, $630 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pendleton’s typical property tax (1.00% 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 $1,200
Renters already here pay a median of $956, 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 (Umatilla County, OR): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
23 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 23 new homes in Pendleton in 2025: 21 single-family houses and 2 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $7.5 million to build. That's 1.4 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Oregon (3.8). Over the past 10 years, Pendleton has permitted 664 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pendleton gained 495 residents while 227 new homes were permitted: about 2.2 new residents per new home, about the same as across Oregon (2.6).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2025 | 23 | 21 | 2 | $7.5 million |
| 2024 | 11 | 9 | 2 | $4.1 million |
| 2023 | 21 | 19 | 2 | $6.3 million |
| 2022 | 285 | 10 | 275 | $33.8 million |
| 2021 | 157 | 37 | 120 | $21.4 million |
| 2020 | 68 | 21 | 47 | $10.4 million |
| 2019 | 18 | 16 | 2 | $4.4 million |
| 2018 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $6.4 million |
| 2017 | 44 | 18 | 26 | $8.9 million |
| 2016 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2015 | 22 | 20 | 2 | $4.2 million |
| 2014 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $6.7 million |
| 2013 | 34 | 12 | 22 | $4.7 million |
| 2012 | 9 | 7 | 2 | $1.8 million |
| 2011 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2010 | 12 | 8 | 4 | $2.8 million |
| 2009 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2008 | 13 | 11 | 2 | $2.1 million |
| 2007 | 19 | 13 | 6 | $2.7 million |
| 2006 | 42 | 31 | 11 | $5 million |
| 2005 | 45 | 22 | 23 | $4.7 million |
| 2004 | 24 | 20 | 4 | $3.8 million |
| 2003 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2002 | 65 | 53 | 12 | $7.6 million |
| 2001 | 46 | 20 | 26 | $4 million |
| 2000 | 32 | 12 | 20 | $3.1 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 $2,871, under the Oregon median of $3,876, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.00% 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+”.
Pendleton and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pendleton | C | $301K | $287K | 1.00% | $1,200 |
Questions about the cost of living in Pendleton
Is Pendleton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pendleton costs more than 73% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #30 of 142 in Oregon. The typical home costs 4.2 years of the median household income of the Hermiston-Pendleton, OR micro area ($68K).
How much does a house cost in Pendleton?
About $301K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.1% in a year. The Oregon typical home is $493K.
What salary do you need to live in Pendleton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $78,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,830 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $48,000.
How much is rent in Pendleton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,200 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $956 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pendleton?
The median bill is $2,871 a year, 1.00% of the median home value (Oregon: $3,876, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pendleton going up?
Yes: up 3.1% in the past year and 19.2% in five years, against 7.1% across Oregon (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pendleton 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.