Measured against area pay, Seth Ward costs less to live in than 95% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Seth Ward have risen about 43% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Plainview, TX micro area ($53K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in March 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Plainview-area micro earn ($53K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.2 years of area income, and 39% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $980a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$53K, Plainview-area income
- 20%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 6%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Seth Ward’s housing numbers say
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Seth Ward home runs about $410 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $980. Can I afford it? ↓
A low property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.84% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 1.49% across Texas. The median bill is $522 (Texas: $4,232). Property taxes ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Seth Ward’s homes were built before 1971, against 1992 for Texas as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Seth Ward, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Seth Ward’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Seth Ward is more affordable than 95% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 43% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Seth Ward rose 43% over the past 5 years, about the same as across Texas. Last year prices rose 6.9%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Seth Ward home at roughly $70,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $70K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Seth Ward, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs about a year of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Seth Ward’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Seth Ward home, with $139K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $980 a month here, $570 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Seth Ward’s typical property tax (0.84% 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 $980
Renters already here pay a median of $863, 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 (Hale County, TX): 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 Texas norm
The median bill is $522 (Texas: $4,232), 0.84% of a home’s value a year, against 1.49% 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+”.
Seth Ward vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Seth Ward.
Cost next door · one source per column
Questions about the cost of living in Seth Ward
Is Seth Ward expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Seth Ward costs less than 95% of U.S. towns: an A+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.2 years of the median household income of the Plainview, TX micro area ($53K).
How much is rent in Seth Ward?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $980 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $863 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Seth Ward?
The median bill is $522 a year, 0.84% of the median home value (Texas: $4,232, 1.49%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Seth Ward buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, March 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.