Alfred Jason Randall House · Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Pine costs more to live in than 87% of U.S. towns
Down 0.9% in a year, 15% above the Arizona typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Payson, AZ micro area ($62K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Payson-area micro earn ($62K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 7.6 years of area income, and 47% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $481Ktypical home, 15% above the Arizona typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,580a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 7.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$62K, Payson-area income
- 27%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 31%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Pine, in brief
About half of Pine’s homes are second homes
59% of Pine’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Year-round rentals are scarce: there are 137 renter households. 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; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Pine’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pine is more affordable than 13% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Arizona: the typical Pine home is up 21.1% in five years, against 6.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 21.1% in five years
Faster than Arizona (6.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Pine | Arizona |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $228,000 | $227,000 |
| 2018 | $240,000 | $244,000 |
| 2019 | $259,000 | $263,000 |
| 2020 | $283,000 | $281,000 |
| 2021 | $325,000 | $324,000 |
| 2022 | $424,000 | $415,000 |
| 2023 | $456,000 | $428,000 |
| 2024 | $471,000 | $432,000 |
| 2025 | $494,000 | $433,000 |
| 2026 | $483,000 | $422,000 |
| September 2026 | $481,000 | $417,000 |
A typical Pine home worth $226K in October 2016 is worth about $481K 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 12 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 7.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pine’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $222K short of a typical Pine home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,580 a month here, $1,110 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pine’s typical property tax (0.42% 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 $1,580
Renters already here pay a median of $1,375, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Gila County, AZ): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $1,949 (Arizona: $1,879), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.42% a year, against 0.48% 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+”.
Pine vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Pine has the lowest. Strawberry has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine | D | $481K | $469K | 0.42% | $1,580 |
| Strawberry | D | — | $370K | 0.56% | $1,580 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Pine
Is Pine expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pine costs more than 87% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living. The typical home costs 7.6 years of the median household income of the Payson, AZ micro area ($62K).
How much does a house cost in Pine?
About $481K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.9% in a year. The Arizona typical home is $417K.
What salary do you need to live in Pine?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $115,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,690 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $63,000.
How much is rent in Pine?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,580 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,375 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pine?
The median bill is $1,949 a year, 0.42% of the median home value (Arizona: $1,879, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pine going up?
No: down 0.9% in the past year and 21.1% in five years, against 6.9% across Arizona (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pine 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. 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.