Home Affordability in Chelan County, WA
A typical home in Chelan County is worth $544,367, down 0.5% year over year. The effective property tax rate is 0.71% of value, and the 2026 conforming loan limit here is $832,750 — borrow more than that and you need a jumbo loan.
Assumes housing costs stay at 33% of gross income — the sustainable middle, not the maximum a lender would approve. A typical home in Chelan County costs $544,367. Rates as of 5 September 2026; they move weekly and your quote will differ.
What each income buys here
| Household income | Conventional | VA | Zero-down CU | FHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $75,000 | $324,000 | $267,000 | $244,000 | $261,000 |
| $100,000 | $443,000 | $365,000 | $335,000 | $357,000 |
| $125,000 | $563,000 | $464,000 | $425,000 | $453,000 |
| $150,000 | $682,000 | $562,000 | $515,000 | $549,000 |
| $200,000 | $921,000 | $759,000 | $696,000 | $742,000 |
Conventional assumes 20% down. VA and credit-union 100% financing assume zero down with the funding fee financed into the loan; FHA assumes 3.5% down with mortgage insurance for the life of the loan. All hold housing at 33% of gross income and cap total debt at the program’s underwriting limit.
Towns in Chelan County
| Town | Typical home | Year over year | Income needed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wenatchee | $500,903 | +0.2% | $112,000 | Details |
| Leavenworth | $675,364 | -1.6% | $149,000 | Details |
| Cashmere | $551,053 | +3.6% | $123,000 | Details |
| Chelan | $521,547 | -7.8% | $116,000 | Details |
| Manson | $738,092 | -2.7% | $162,000 | Details |
| Peshastin | $515,084 | +0.3% | $115,000 | Details |
| Malaga | $524,863 | +1.3% | $117,000 | Details |
| Entiat | $470,816 | +0.1% | $106,000 | Details |
The cheapest places in the county are Entiat ($471K), Wenatchee ($501K), Peshastin ($515K).
How the zero-down math actually works
Putting nothing down does not simply move the down payment to zero — it costs you twice. Zero-down programs price above conventional, and they finance a funding fee into the balance, so you start out owing more than the house cost. In Chelan County that difference is worth roughly $167K of purchasing power at a $150,000 income.
The exception is the VA loan. If anyone on the loan is Active Duty, Reserve, or a Veteran, it prices below conventional and charges no mortgage insurance — and the funding fee is waived entirely with any VA disability rating. It is almost always the cheapest zero-down option, and it is worth about $47K more house than a credit-union 100% loan here.