New River Company General Office Building · Photo: Coal town guy · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Mount Hope costs less to live in than 95% of U.S. towns
Down 3.6% in a year, 36% 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 Beckley, WV metro area ($53K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale 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 Beckley metro earn ($53K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.9 years of metro income, and 43% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $112Ktypical home, 36% below the West Virginia typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,110a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Beckley 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$53K, Beckley-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 43%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across West Virginia: 49%Census 2020–24
- 8%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Mount Hope, in brief
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Mount Hope home runs about $640 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,110. Can I afford it? ↓
Prices are 14% below their 2024 peak
The typical Mount Hope home peaked at $130K in September 2024 and is worth about $112K now. Across West Virginia, values are at or near their high. Over five years, Mount Hope is still up 22%. Price trend ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $1,110 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Mount Hope pay a median of $549. Renting ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Mount Hope’s homes were built before 1951, 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; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Mount Hope’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Mount Hope is more affordable than 95% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with West Virginia: up 22.3% in five years, against 23.3% statewide (Zillow).
Down 3.6% in a year
Slower than West Virginia (2.6%).
Show as a table
| January | Mount Hope | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $73,000 | $120,000 |
| 2021 | $90,000 | $135,000 |
| 2022 | $100,000 | $146,000 |
| 2023 | $112,000 | $156,000 |
| 2024 | $119,000 | $161,000 |
| 2025 | $125,000 | $172,000 |
| 2026 | $115,000 | $173,000 |
| September 2026 | $112,000 | $177,000 |
A typical Mount Hope home worth $71K in February 2019 is worth about $112K 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 Mount Hope’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Mount Hope home, with $105K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,110 a month here, $470 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Mount Hope’s typical property tax (0.55% 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 $1,110
Renters already here pay a median of $549, 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 (Fayette County, WV 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.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Mount Hope in 2025. The last year with any was 2016 (1 new home).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Mount Hope's population fell by 289 even though 6 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year.
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 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2014 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $480,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $20,000 |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $174,000 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $209,000 |
| 2002 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $139,000 |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $180,000 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
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 $558, under the West Virginia median of $865, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.55% 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 Mount Hope
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Beckley, WV 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 | 88 | WV 89 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | WV 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 92 | 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.
Mount Hope 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Hope | A | $112K | $101K | 0.55% | $1,110 |
Questions about the cost of living in Mount Hope
Is Mount Hope expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Mount Hope costs less than 95% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Beckley, WV metro area ($53K).
How much does a house cost in Mount Hope?
About $112K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 3.6% in a year. The West Virginia typical home is $177K.
What salary do you need to live in Mount Hope?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $27,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $640 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $44,000.
How much is rent in Mount Hope?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,110 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $549 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Mount Hope?
The median bill is $558 a year, 0.55% of the median home value (West Virginia: $865, 0.53%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Mount Hope going up?
No: down 3.6% in the past year and 22.3% in five years, against 23.3% across West Virginia (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Mount Hope 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.