Photo: Librarian Hat, AG · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Fruita costs more to live in than 76% of U.S. towns
It ranks #71 of 158 in Colorado for affordability. Up 2.5% in a year, 9% below the Colorado typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Grand Junction, CO metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Grand Junction-area metro earn ($74K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 5.4 years of metro income, and 44% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $481Ktypical home, 9% below the Colorado typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,570a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Grand Junction-area income
- 24%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 44%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Colorado: 53%Census 2020–24
- 28%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Fruita?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Fruita’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fruita is more affordable than 24% of U.S. towns, #71 of 158 in Colorado. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Colorado: the typical Fruita home is up 23.2% in five years, against 6.2% statewide (Zillow).
Up 23.2% in five years
Faster than Colorado (6.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Fruita | Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $242,000 | $336,000 |
| 2018 | $262,000 | $363,000 |
| 2019 | $289,000 | $386,000 |
| 2020 | $310,000 | $403,000 |
| 2021 | $340,000 | $440,000 |
| 2022 | $406,000 | $519,000 |
| 2023 | $428,000 | $544,000 |
| 2024 | $439,000 | $545,000 |
| 2025 | $461,000 | $551,000 |
| 2026 | $477,000 | $537,000 |
| September 2026 | $481,000 | $529,000 |
A typical Fruita home worth $239K 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 18 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 5.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Fruita’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $172K short of a typical Fruita home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,570 a month here, $1,120 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Fruita’s typical property tax (0.43% 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 $1,570
Renters already here pay a median of $1,472.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Grand Junction, CO MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
141 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 141 new homes in Fruita in 2025: 99 single-family houses and 42 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $16.4 million to build. That's 10 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Colorado (6.9).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 52 | 52 | 0 | $12.6 million |
| 2025 | 141 | 99 | 42 | $16.4 million |
| 2024 | 151 | 96 | 55 | $40.1 million |
| 2023 | 133 | 59 | 74 | $17.8 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Colorado norm
The median bill is $1,699 (Colorado: $2,602), 0.43% of a home’s value 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+”.
Fruita vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Fruita has the lowest. Redlands 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruita | C− | $481K | $398K | 0.43% | $1,570 |
| Redlands | C− | — | $488K | 0.38% | $1,720 |
| Loma | C− | $660K | $787K | 0.23% | $1,500 |
“—” 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 Fruita
Is Fruita expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fruita costs more than 76% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #71 of 158 in Colorado. The typical home costs 5.4 years of the median household income of the Grand Junction, CO metro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Fruita?
About $481K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.5% in a year. The Colorado typical home is $529K.
What salary do you need to live in Fruita?
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 Fruita?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,570 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,472 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Fruita?
The median bill is $1,699 a year, 0.43% of the median home value (Colorado: $2,602, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Fruita going up?
Yes: up 2.5% in the past year and 23.2% in five years, against 6.2% across Colorado (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Fruita 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, May 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.