Staunton City
-; base real-estate tax 0.91 per $100 assessed.
Credit
Photo: Idawriter / CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Central Shenandoah Valley cost of living
Home prices, assessed-value fallbacks, tax rates, and budget tradeoffs.
Waynesboro City
-; base real-estate tax 0.82 per $100 assessed.
Augusta County
$278,300; base real-estate tax 0.52 per $100 assessed.
Rockbridge County
$280,000; base real-estate tax 0.64 per $100 assessed.
Lexington City
-; base real-estate tax 0.92 per $100 assessed.
Buena Vista City
-; base real-estate tax 0.91 per $100 assessed.
Bath County
-; base real-estate tax 0.60 per $100 assessed.
Highland County
-; base real-estate tax 0.51 per $100 assessed.
Start with the spread
The current guide range runs from about $278,300 in Augusta County to $280,000 in Rockbridge County. Use that spread before assuming one town represents the whole region.
Compare taxes at the address level
County and city rates are only the base. Incorporated towns can add their own real-estate levy, and insurance, HOA dues, commuting, and utilities can change the monthly picture.
Read sparse data honestly
Staunton City, Waynesboro City, Augusta County, Lexington City, Buena Vista City, Bath County, Highland County currently relies on assessed-value signals, not a clean sale median. Treat those cards as directional until enough arms-length sales sync.
Use this page as a starting point, then open the area guides for the underlying numbers and source notes.
Sources and freshnessLast rebuilt 2026-09-14 with public records and source notes for Central Shenandoah Valley cost of living.
- Last rebuilt 2026-09-14 from the latest records synced into this guide.
- Home-price medians use 854 recorded public sale rows across 1 area.
- 1 area uses assessed value because usable sale-price coverage is limited.
- 6 areas show an explicit coming-soon state rather than a guessed price.
- Property and tax figures come from county/city parcel, sales, and assessor records.
- School metrics use Virginia Department of Education profiles when available.
- Amenity and business counts use OpenStreetMap, so hours and listings can change.
- Jobs, events, news, and business-directory layers are included only after their feeds or curated sources sync.
- Use these figures as planning estimates, then verify taxes, listings, and school details before making an offer.
Also exploring Southwest Virginia?
This page is focused on Central Shenandoah Valley. Open a neighboring guide when your search crosses into another part of the region.
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