What a Winchester home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at the typical market value, $343,000; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.
- Property tax$2,727
0.795% of $343,000
- Electricity$2,042
1000 kWh a month $2,042
- Water and sewer$1,819
7,000 gallons a month on City of Winchester: water $93, sewer $58 a month
- Trash$120
65-gallon container, $10 a month
- Home insurance$1,332
Typical premium $1,332
A Winchester house at the typical market value ($343,000) costs about $8,000 a year: $2,730 property tax and charges, $1,820 water and sewer, $120 trash, $2,040 electricity, $1,330 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
One change saves this house about $687 a year:
Bring water use down to 4 units
$687 a yearAbove 4 units a month, City of Winchester charges $11.46 a unit instead of $0.00.
How: Most of the top tier is outdoor watering: fix leaks and water less often in summer.
Worth checking
Switch to the 35-gallon container cartUp to $24 a year
Your cart costs $10 a month; the smallest costs $8. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
Money dates
- Dec 5in 31 daysThe second real estate payment is due December 5.
- Jun 5Real estate taxes are billed semi-annually and are due on June 5 and December 5.
- After each due dateA late payment penalty of 10 percent is charged the day after the due date, plus interest of 10% per annum.
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of Winchester
- Residential water rate $8.57 per 1,000 gallons; minimum for a 3/4" meter $61.27 for the first 3,000 gallons.
- Property tax
- 0.80% of value
- 2026 (current rate), City of Winchester
- Garbage
- City of Winchester
- City trash carts: 35-, 65- or 95-gallon container, $8 to $12 a month
- Sewer
- City of Winchester Public Utilities
- Sewer $15.64 per 1,000 gallons
Other VA cities
Chesapeake home costsFairfax home costsRoanoke home costsNewport News home costsHerndon home costsLynchburg home costsHampton home costsSalem home costsDanville home costsSuffolk home costsSmithfield home costsRadford home costsManassas home costsBristol home costsWarrenton home costsNorfolk home costsPortsmouth home costsHopewell home costsWilliamsburg home costsMartinsville home costsPetersburg home costsHarrisonburg home costsVirginia Beach home costsFront Royal home costsWaynesboro home costs
How these numbers are made
- Property tax: City of Winchester $0.795 per $100 of assessed value. Winchester is an independent city, so no county or separate school rate applies. Starting value is the Census 2020-2024 median home value (a market value); no assessed median was found.
- Water and sewer: the $61.27 minimum for a 3/4-inch meter is modeled as covering the first 3,000 gallons of water and sewer together; the city page does not say whether the minimum includes sewer, so this is an assumption.
- Not included: the stormwater utility fee ($0.220 per 50 sq ft of impervious surface, billed every other month; the page does not state the period of the rate). Natural gas is not included..
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
- City of Winchester: Water & Wastewater
- City of Winchester: Real Estate Tax
- City of Winchester: Waste & Recycling
- City of Winchester: Utilities
- City of Winchester: Stormwater
- Triple-I: homeowners insurance by state (NAIC)
- SVEC Schedule A-15 Residential Service
- SVEC Power Cost Adjustment billing factors
- City of Winchester: Taxes (utility taxes)
- City of Winchester: My Bill
- Census QuickFacts, Winchester city
- SVEC: Who We Are
How Winchester compares
A typical Winchester house against the 26 Virginia cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Winchester | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 1.01% | lower than 23 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover |
| Water | $1,119 | $583 | higher than 24 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $700 | $857 | lower than 16 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover |
| Trash | $120 | $276 | lower than 15 of the other 21 Virginia cities we cover |
| Electricity and gas | $2,042 | $2,872 | lower than 24 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover |
| Home insurance | $1,332 | $1,332 | in the middle of 21 other Virginia cities we cover |
| Total | $8,040 | $9,098 | lower than 15 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Property tax rate
The fact: Winchester's property tax rate is 0.80%, lower than 23 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.
Ask: "Property tax in Winchester is 0.80%, lower than 23 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"
2. Water
The fact: Water here costs about $1,119 a year at typical use, higher than 24 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover.
Ask: "Water here costs about $1,119 a year at typical use, higher than 24 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
3. Trash
The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $120 a year for the standard cart, lower than 15 of the other 21 Virginia cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.
Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $120 a year for the standard cart, lower than 15 of the other 21 Virginia cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"
4. Electricity and gas
The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,042 a year, lower than 24 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.
Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $2,042 a year for a typical house, lower than 24 of the other 25 Virginia cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"
Common questions about Winchester house costs
What is the property tax rate in Winchester?
About 0.80% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 (current rate), City of Winchester), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Winchester?
About $3,975 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.
How much is the water bill in Winchester?
About $152 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Winchester.
How much does trash pickup cost in Winchester?
$8 to $12 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon container, 65-gallon container, 95-gallon container).
How much does a house in Winchester cost to run each year?
A Winchester house at the typical market value ($343,000) costs about $8,000 a year: $2,730 property tax and charges, $1,820 water and sewer, $120 trash, $2,040 electricity, $1,330 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.