Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Trinity costs less to live in than 87% of U.S. towns
It ranks #36 of 187 in Alabama for affordability. Down 1.5% in a year, close to the Alabama typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Decatur, AL metro area ($68K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Decatur-area metro earn ($68K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 4.2 years of metro income, and 0% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $242Ktypical home, 1% above the Alabama typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $900a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$68K, Decatur-area income
- 10%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Trinity’s housing numbers say
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Trinity gained 431 residents while 65 new homes were permitted: about 6.6 new residents per new home, against 1.8 across Alabama. New homes ↓
Nearly every household owns
92% of Trinity households own their home, against 70% across Alabama. There are only 43 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Trinity’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Trinity is more affordable than 87% of U.S. towns, #36 of 187 in Alabama. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Alabama: up 11.9% in five years, against 16.8% statewide (Zillow).
Up 11.9% in five years
Slower than Alabama (16.8%).
Show as a table
| January | Trinity | Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $144,000 | $145,000 |
| 2018 | $151,000 | $150,000 |
| 2019 | $159,000 | $156,000 |
| 2020 | $173,000 | $167,000 |
| 2021 | $189,000 | $185,000 |
| 2022 | $226,000 | $212,000 |
| 2023 | $230,000 | $226,000 |
| 2024 | $233,000 | $230,000 |
| 2025 | $248,000 | $235,000 |
| 2026 | $247,000 | $236,000 |
| September 2026 | $242,000 | $239,000 |
A typical Trinity home worth $141K in October 2016 is worth about $242K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 5 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 4.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Trinity’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Trinity home, with $47K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $900 a month here, $430 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Trinity’s typical property tax (0.30% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $900
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Decatur, AL MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
17 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 17 new homes in Trinity in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $4 million to build. That's 6.6 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Alabama as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Trinity has permitted 75 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Trinity gained 431 residents while 65 new homes were permitted: about 6.6 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Alabama: 1.8 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2025 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2024 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2023 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $895,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $978,000 |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2018 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $815,000 |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $734,000 |
| 2016 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $734,000 |
| 2015 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2014 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2012 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2011 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2010 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2009 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2008 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2007 | 34 | 34 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2006 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2005 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2004 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2003 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2002 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $915,000 |
| 2001 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $657,000 |
| 2000 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $784,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $857 (Alabama: $788), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.30% a year, against 0.38% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Trinity vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Trinity has the 2nd-lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Trinity
Is Trinity expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Trinity costs less than 87% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #36 of 187 in Alabama. The typical home costs 4.2 years of the median household income of the Decatur, AL metro area ($68K).
How much does a house cost in Trinity?
About $242K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.5% in a year. The Alabama typical home is $239K.
What salary do you need to live in Trinity?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $57,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,330 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $36,000.
How much is rent in Trinity?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $900 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Trinity?
The median bill is $857 a year, 0.30% of the median home value (Alabama: $788, 0.38%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Trinity going up?
No: down 1.5% in the past year and 11.9% in five years, against 16.8% across Alabama (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Trinity buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.