Photo: Jakobemerson · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Murphys costs more to live in than 92% of U.S. towns
Down 1.3% in a year, 38% below the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Calaveras County, CA ($79K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 4 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Murphys’ area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($79K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up no better than renters: 49% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 47% of renters.
In dollars
- $475Ktypical home, 38% below the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,780a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 6.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$79K, Calaveras County income
- 23%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 47%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 49%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Murphys?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Murphys’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Murphys is more affordable than 8% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged California: the typical Murphys home is up 1.8% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 1.8% in five years
Slower than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Murphys | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $331,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $344,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $361,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $370,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $404,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $475,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $482,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $483,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $487,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $476,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $475,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Murphys home worth $318K in October 2016 is worth about $475K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 6.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Murphys’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $151K short of a typical Murphys home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,780 a month here, $920 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Murphys’s typical property tax (0.54% 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 $1,780
Renters already here pay a median of $1,523, 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 (Calaveras County, CA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs below the California norm
The median bill is $2,860 (California: $5,124), 0.54% of a home’s value a year, against 0.70% 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+”.
Murphys and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murphys | D | $475K | $526K | 0.54% | $1,780 |
Questions about the cost of living in Murphys
Is Murphys expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Murphys costs more than 92% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living. The typical home costs 6.7 years of the median household income of Calaveras County, CA ($79K).
How much does a house cost in Murphys?
About $475K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.3% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Murphys?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $116,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,700 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $71,000.
How much is rent in Murphys?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,780 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,523 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Murphys?
The median bill is $2,860 a year, 0.54% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Murphys going up?
No: down 1.3% in the past year and 1.8% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Murphys 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.