Photo: Dougtone · CC BY-SA 2.0Measured against area pay, Chester costs less to live in than 96% of U.S. towns
Up 4.7% in a year, 31% below the West Virginia typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH metro area ($59K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in April 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 Weirton metro earn ($59K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.9 years of metro income, and 45% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $121Ktypical home, 31% below the West Virginia typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,060a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 89prices across the Weirton metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 52)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$59K, Weirton-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 45%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across West Virginia: 49%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Chester, in brief
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Chester home runs about $720 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,060. Can I afford it? ↓
A high property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.83% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 0.53% across West Virginia. The median bill is $933 (West Virginia: $865). On the typical home, that’s about $80 a month. Property taxes ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $1,060 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Chester pay a median of $647. Renting ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Chester’s homes were built before 1950, against 1976 for West Virginia 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. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Chester’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Chester is more affordable than 96% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged West Virginia: the typical Chester home is up 15.6% in five years, against 23.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 15.6% in five years
Slower than West Virginia (23.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Chester | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $78,000 | $112,000 |
| 2018 | $80,000 | $114,000 |
| 2019 | $83,000 | $119,000 |
| 2020 | $85,000 | $120,000 |
| 2021 | $98,000 | $135,000 |
| 2022 | $104,000 | $146,000 |
| 2023 | $113,000 | $156,000 |
| 2024 | $110,000 | $161,000 |
| 2025 | $116,000 | $172,000 |
| 2026 | $118,000 | $173,000 |
| September 2026 | $121,000 | $177,000 |
A typical Chester home worth $77K in October 2016 is worth about $121K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Chester’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Chester home, with $110K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,060 a month here, $340 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Chester’s typical property tax (0.83% 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 $1,060
Renters already here pay a median of $647, 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 (Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Chester in 2025. The last year with any was 2003 (1 new home).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Chester's population fell by 377 and no new homes were permitted.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $100,000 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Chester's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the West Virginia norm
The median bill is $933 (West Virginia: $865), 0.83% of a home’s value a year, against 0.53% 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 Chester
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH metro area, or West Virginia. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 89 | WV 89 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | WV 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 95 | WV 92 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 100 | WV 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.
Chester vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Chester has the 2nd-lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Chester
Is Chester expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Chester costs less than 96% of U.S. towns: an A+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH metro area ($59K).
How much does a house cost in Chester?
About $121K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.7% in a year. The West Virginia typical home is $177K.
What salary do you need to live in Chester?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $31,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $720 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $42,000.
How much is rent in Chester?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,060 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $647 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Chester?
The median bill is $933 a year, 0.83% of the median home value (West Virginia: $865, 0.53%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Chester going up?
Yes: up 4.7% in the past year and 15.6% in five years, against 23.3% across West Virginia (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Chester 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, April 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.