Home Affordability in Kittitas County, WA
A typical home in Kittitas County is worth $497,022, up 0.2% 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.
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Assumes housing costs stay at 33% of gross income — the sustainable middle, not the maximum a lender would approve. A typical home in Kittitas County costs $497,022. 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 | $327,000 | $269,000 | $247,000 | $263,000 |
| $100,000 | $446,000 | $368,000 | $337,000 | $359,000 |
| $125,000 | $566,000 | $466,000 | $427,000 | $456,000 |
| $150,000 | $685,000 | $565,000 | $517,000 | $552,000 |
| $200,000 | $924,000 | $762,000 | $698,000 | $744,000 |
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 Kittitas County
| Town | Typical home | Year over year | Income needed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellensburg | $453,399 | +0.2% | $102,000 | Details |
| Cle Elum | $608,590 | +1.1% | $134,000 | Details |
| South Cle Elum | $407,030 | +2.2% | $92,000 | Details |
| Easton | $401,245 | -0.3% | $91,000 | Details |
| Thorp | $472,199 | +2.8% | $105,000 | Details |
| Roslyn | $459,002 | +1.8% | $103,000 | Details |
| Ronald | $612,022 | -4.2% | $135,000 | Details |
| Kittitas | $300,940 | +1.3% | $70,000 | Details |
The cheapest places in the county are Kittitas ($301K), Easton ($401K), South Cle Elum ($407K).
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 Kittitas County that difference is worth roughly $168K 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.