Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Waynesboro costs less to live in than 51% of U.S. towns
It ranks #71 of 253 in Virginia for affordability. Up 2.8% in a year, 23% below the Virginia typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Staunton metro earn ($74K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.3 years of metro income, and 46% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $317Ktypical home, 23% below the Virginia typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,190a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 91prices across the Staunton metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 68)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Staunton-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 46%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Virginia: 49%Census 2020–24
- 25%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Waynesboro, in brief
Building at 4 times the Virginia pace
Builders were permitted 353 new homes in 2025: 15 per 1,000 residents, against 4 across Virginia. That’s 1,581 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
A burst of building in 2024
Waynesboro permitted 390 new homes in 2024, 65% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 132 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 353. 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 Waynesboro’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Waynesboro is more affordable than 51% of U.S. towns, #71 of 253 in Virginia. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Virginia: up 24.7% in five years, against 23.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 24.7% in five years
About the same pace as Virginia (23.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Waynesboro | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $182,000 | $251,000 |
| 2018 | $191,000 | $261,000 |
| 2019 | $199,000 | $269,000 |
| 2020 | $215,000 | $282,000 |
| 2021 | $235,000 | $309,000 |
| 2022 | $261,000 | $342,000 |
| 2023 | $280,000 | $364,000 |
| 2024 | $294,000 | $384,000 |
| 2025 | $305,000 | $402,000 |
| 2026 | $312,000 | $408,000 |
| September 2026 | $317,000 | $412,000 |
A typical Waynesboro home worth $180K in October 2016 is worth about $317K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A year’s rent takes 17% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Waynesboro’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $20K short of a typical Waynesboro home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,190 a month here, $650 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Waynesboro’s typical property tax (0.67% 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 $1,190
Renters already here pay a median of $1,020, 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 (Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
353 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 353 new homes in Waynesboro in 2025: 196 single-family houses and 157 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $73.3 million to build. That's 15 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Virginia (4). Over the past 10 years, Waynesboro has permitted 1,581 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Waynesboro gained 1,190 residents while 793 new homes were permitted: about 1.5 new residents per new home, fewer than across Virginia (2.2): building outpaced growth.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 213 | 207 | 6 | $43.8 million |
| 2025 | 353 | 196 | 157 | $73.3 million |
| 2024 | 390 | 138 | 252 | $48 million |
| 2023 | 170 | 164 | 6 | $25.7 million |
| 2022 | 117 | 111 | 6 | $18.5 million |
| 2021 | 102 | 98 | 4 | $14.7 million |
| 2020 | 129 | 129 | 0 | $15.6 million |
| 2019 | 222 | 100 | 122 | $22.8 million |
| 2018 | 45 | 30 | 15 | $4.4 million |
| 2017 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2016 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $298,000 |
| 2015 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2014 | 48 | 44 | 4 | $7 million |
| 2013 | 278 | 40 | 238 | $22.3 million |
| 2012 | 35 | 33 | 2 | $4.2 million |
| 2011 | 34 | 32 | 2 | $3.4 million |
| 2010 | 35 | 25 | 10 | $3.7 million |
| 2009 | 44 | 41 | 3 | $3.7 million |
| 2008 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2007 | 103 | 103 | 0 | $16.2 million |
| 2006 | 137 | 111 | 26 | $15.3 million |
| 2005 | 116 | 95 | 21 | $15.8 million |
| 2004 | 123 | 120 | 3 | $11.1 million |
| 2003 | 95 | 89 | 6 | $7.4 million |
| 2002 | 83 | 68 | 15 | $5.5 million |
| 2001 | 96 | 72 | 24 | $6.5 million |
| 2000 | 100 | 50 | 50 | $8 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 Virginia norm
The median bill is $1,639 (Virginia: $2,790), 0.67% of a home’s value 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 Waynesboro
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Staunton-Stuarts Draft, 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 | 91 | VA 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | VA 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 90 | 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.
Waynesboro vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Waynesboro has the lowest. Dooms 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waynesboro | B− | $317K | $246K | 0.67% | $1,190 |
| Fishersville | C− | $403K | $349K | 0.52% | $1,650 |
| Lyndhurst | A− | $359K | $252K | 0.49% | $1,430 |
| Dooms | A | — | $274K | 0.43% | $1,190 |
“—” 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 Waynesboro
Is Waynesboro expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Waynesboro costs less than 51% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #71 of 253 in Virginia. The typical home costs 3.3 years of the median household income of the Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA metro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Waynesboro?
About $317K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.8% in a year. The Virginia typical home is $412K.
What salary do you need to live in Waynesboro?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $79,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,840 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 Waynesboro?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,190 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,020 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Waynesboro?
The median bill is $1,639 a year, 0.67% of the median home value (Virginia: $2,790, 0.73%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Waynesboro going up?
Yes: up 2.8% in the past year and 24.7% in five years, against 23.5% across Virginia (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Waynesboro 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.