Wilkes-Barre, PA Average Home Price (2026)
The average home price in Wilkes-Barre is about $183,500 (the 2026 median, at ~$141/sq ft) — 38% more affordable than the typical U.S. home. Below: average prices by home size, what it costs to live here, and a free estimator for your own address.
Thinking of moving to Wilkes-Barre?
Here’s what the numbers say about housing costs in Wilkes-Barre. A typical home runs about $183,500, which is 38% more affordable than the national median and 24% more affordable than the Pennsylvania average. At roughly $141 per square foot, a median budget here buys you around 1,300 sq ft of home.
Prices swing a lot by neighborhood: across Wilkes-Barre’s 4 ZIP codes, the most affordable is 18701 (~$178,000) and the priciest is 18705 (~$198,000) — roughly a 1.1× difference. If you’re relocating, that spread is where the real budgeting happens, so it pays to target ZIP by ZIP rather than the citywide average.
Wilkes-Barre home value by size
Using the local rate of about $141 per square foot, here’s a rough estimate by home size. Condition, lot, and exact location move these meaningfully.
| Home size | Estimated value |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $141,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $211,500 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $282,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $352,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $423,000 |
Salary needed to buy a home in Wilkes-Barre
To buy the typical $183,500 home in Wilkes-Barre with 20% down, you need a household income of roughly $50,000 a year (about $1,160 a month for the mortgage, taxes, and insurance). With 10% down the bar rises to about $59,000, because the loan is bigger and mortgage insurance kicks in.
| Down payment | Cash down | Monthly payment | Income needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% (+PMI) | $9,200 | $1,450/mo | $62,000/yr |
| 10% (+PMI) | $18,400 | $1,380/mo | $59,000/yr |
| 20% | $36,700 | $1,160/mo | $50,000/yr |
Assumes a 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.5%, property tax at 1.1% and insurance at 0.45% of value per year, PMI of 0.75% on loans with less than 20% down, and the standard 28% housing-to-income rule. Your rate, taxes, and HOA will move these — run your own numbers in the mortgage calculator.
What your budget buys in Wilkes-Barre
At about $141 per square foot, here is roughly how much home different budgets get you in Wilkes-Barre:
| Budget | Approx. size | What that looks like locally |
|---|---|---|
| $150k | 1060 sq ft | around the typical home here |
| $200k | 1420 sq ft | around the typical home here |
| $250k | 1770 sq ft | above the median — larger homes or the pricier ZIPs |
| $300k | 2130 sq ft | above the median — larger homes or the pricier ZIPs |
| $400k | 2840 sq ft | above the median — larger homes or the pricier ZIPs |
Wondering where that budget goes further? The relocation calculator ranks hundreds of U.S. cities by what the same money buys — it opens pre-filled with a typical Wilkes-Barre home so you can see where a Wilkes-Barre budget goes further.
Wilkes-Barre home prices by ZIP code
Every Wilkes-Barre ZIP code we track, from the priciest to the most affordable. Click a ZIP for its own page with price per square foot, value by home size, and the salary needed to buy there.
| ZIP code | Typical home value | $ / sq ft | vs Wilkes-Barre median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18705 | $198,000 | $129 | +8% |
| 18706 | $188,000 | $149 | +2% |
| 18702 | $179,000 | $133 | -2% |
| 18701 | $178,000 | $167 | -3% |
Moving to Wilkes-Barre from somewhere else? Compare your current home against Wilkes-Barre prices — enter your ZIP and the calculator shows whether your budget buys more or less here.
Living in Wilkes-Barre: what to know before you move
Home prices tell you what it costs to buy in Wilkes-Barre, but daily life depends on much more. On housing alone, a typical home here runs $183,500 (~$141/sq ft), 38% more affordable than the national median — making Wilkes-Barre relatively affordable to buy in. That’s usually the biggest line in a household budget, but it’s only part of the picture. Here’s where to research the things home values don’t capture:
- Schools. School quality varies widely by neighborhood and shapes both family life and resale value. Check Wilkes-Barre school ratings and attendance zones on GreatSchools.
- Cost of living. Beyond the mortgage, weigh groceries, utilities, healthcare, and local taxes. Compare Wilkes-Barre’s cost of living.
- Safety. Crime and safety differ block to block, so check local data before settling on an area. Review Wilkes-Barre crime and safety stats.
- The bigger picture. For history, economy, climate, and local context, read about Wilkes-Barre on Wikipedia.
We specialize in housing data; the links above go to independent sources so you can verify schools, safety, and cost of living for yourself — the details that matter most when you’re choosing where to live.
Estimate your specific home in Wilkes-Barre
Enter your ZIP and size for an instant estimate tailored to your exact area:
Wilkes-Barre home prices: frequently asked
What salary do you need to buy a house in Wilkes-Barre, PA? +
What is the average home price in Wilkes-Barre, PA? +
Is Wilkes-Barre expensive to live in? +
What is the price per square foot in Wilkes-Barre? +
How much is a 2,000 sq ft house in Wilkes-Barre? +
Grow your home’s value in Wilkes-Barre
Use our Increase Home Value calculator to see which improvements add the most, or read the pre-sale projects that actually pay off. See how Wilkes-Barre stacks up against other Pennsylvania cities on the Pennsylvania home values page, or browse the full U.S. directory.
Directional estimates from public market data (Realtor.com & Zillow research), not appraisals. Actual values vary by home and change over time.
Nearby cities
Home prices in cities near Wilkes-Barre: