Home Affordability in Benton County, WA
A typical home in Benton County is worth $452,721, up 0.3% year over year. The effective property tax rate is 0.79% 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 Benton County costs $452,721. 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 | $320,000 | $264,000 | $242,000 | $258,000 |
| $100,000 | $438,000 | $362,000 | $332,000 | $354,000 |
| $125,000 | $556,000 | $459,000 | $421,000 | $449,000 |
| $150,000 | $674,000 | $557,000 | $511,000 | $544,000 |
| $200,000 | $911,000 | $752,000 | $690,000 | $735,000 |
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 Benton County
| Town | Typical home | Year over year | Income needed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennewick | $435,000 | +0.5% | $99,000 | Details |
| Richland | $470,131 | +0.2% | $107,000 | Details |
| Sunnyside | $328,728 | +1.4% | $77,000 | Details |
| West Richland | $498,909 | -0.3% | $113,000 | Details |
| Prosser | $426,178 | +0.2% | $97,000 | Details |
| Benton City | $436,840 | +0.9% | $100,000 | Details |
The cheapest places in the county are Sunnyside ($329K), Prosser ($426K), Kennewick ($435K).
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 Benton County that difference is worth roughly $164K 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 $46K more house than a credit-union 100% loan here.