Hollins College Quadrangle · Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Rmj12345~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Hollins costs more to live in than 63% of U.S. towns
It ranks #97 of 253 in Virginia for affordability.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Roanoke, VA metro area ($69K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Roanoke metro earn ($69K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.6 years of metro income, and 47% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,470a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 94prices across the Roanoke metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 79)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$69K, Roanoke-area income
- 21%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 47%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Virginia: 49%Census 2020–24
- 15%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Hollins
What’s behind Hollins’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Hollins is more affordable than 37% of U.S. towns, #97 of 253 in Virginia. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 56% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Hollins rose 56% over the past 5 years, faster than across Virginia (49%). Last year prices rose 3.6%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Hollins home at roughly $299,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $299K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Hollins, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A year’s rent takes 21% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Hollins’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $31K short of a typical Hollins home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,470 a month here, $320 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Hollins’s typical property tax (0.92% 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 $1,470
Renters already here pay a median of $1,193, 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 (Roanoke, VA 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.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $2,236, under the Virginia median of $2,790, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.92% a year, against 0.73% 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 Hollins
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Roanoke, VA metro area, or Virginia. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 94 | VA 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | VA 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 89 | VA 92 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | VA 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.
Hollins vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Hollins.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollins | C+ | — | $244K | 0.92% | $1,470 |
| Roanoke | B− | $278K | $191K | 0.99% | $1,230 |
| Cloverdale | B− | $303K | $360K | 0.62% | $1,480 |
“—” 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 Hollins
Is Hollins expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Hollins costs more than 63% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #97 of 253 in Virginia. The typical home costs 3.6 years of the median household income of the Roanoke, VA metro area ($69K).
How much is rent in Hollins?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,470 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,193 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Hollins?
The median bill is $2,236 a year, 0.92% of the median home value (Virginia: $2,790, 0.73%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Hollins buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 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.