First Evangelical Lutheran Church · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Gypsum costs more to live in than 78% of U.S. towns
It ranks #83 of 158 in Colorado for affordability. Up 1.3% in a year, 31% above the Colorado typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Edwards, CO micro area ($104K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Gypsum’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($104K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 11% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 64% of renters.
In dollars
- $693Ktypical home, 31% above the Colorado typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,380a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 6.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$104K, Edwards-area income
- 25%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 64%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Colorado: 53%Census 2020–24
- 11%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Gypsum
Values rose faster than Colorado’s over five years
The typical Gypsum home is up 38% in five years, against 6.2% across Colorado. Since October 2016 it has about doubled, from $333K to $693K. Price trend ↓
About two in three renters are stretched
64% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 53% across Colorado. A standard two-bedroom would take 25% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Mostly newer homes
Half of Gypsum’s homes were built after 2002, against 1988 for Colorado as a whole. Property taxes ↓
2026 has already passed 2025
Through August, Gypsum had permitted 127 new homes in 2026, more than the 59 in all of 2025. New homes ↓
A burst of building in 2021
Gypsum permitted 208 new homes in 2021, 88% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 75 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 59. New homes ↓
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 May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Gypsum’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gypsum is more affordable than 22% of U.S. towns, #83 of 158 in Colorado. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Colorado: the typical Gypsum home is up 38.1% in five years, against 6.2% statewide (Zillow).
Up 38.1% in five years
Faster than Colorado (6.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Gypsum | Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $340,000 | $336,000 |
| 2018 | $362,000 | $363,000 |
| 2019 | $390,000 | $386,000 |
| 2020 | $404,000 | $403,000 |
| 2021 | $444,000 | $440,000 |
| 2022 | $522,000 | $519,000 |
| 2023 | $577,000 | $544,000 |
| 2024 | $627,000 | $545,000 |
| 2025 | $684,000 | $551,000 |
| 2026 | $685,000 | $537,000 |
| September 2026 | $693,000 | $529,000 |
A typical Gypsum home worth $333K in October 2016 is worth about $693K 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 14 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 6.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Gypsum’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $262K short of a typical Gypsum home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,380 a month here, $1,520 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Gypsum’s typical property tax (0.46% 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 $2,380
Renters already here pay a median of $2,183.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Eagle County, CO): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
59 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 59 new homes in Gypsum in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $13.1 million to build. That's 6.6 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Colorado as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Gypsum has permitted 880 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Gypsum gained 1,563 residents while 444 new homes were permitted: about 3.5 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Colorado: 2.5 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 127 | 67 | 60 | $31.6 million |
| 2025 | 59 | 59 | 0 | $13.1 million |
| 2024 | 63 | 54 | 9 | $18.4 million |
| 2023 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $10.7 million |
| 2022 | 35 | 35 | 0 | $17.2 million |
| 2021 | 208 | 24 | 184 | $15.3 million |
| 2020 | 192 | 32 | 160 | $19.6 million |
| 2019 | 119 | 37 | 82 | $16.4 million |
| 2018 | 37 | 21 | 16 | $11.2 million |
| 2017 | 111 | 45 | 66 | $6.4 million |
| 2016 | 29 | 6 | 23 | $6.2 million |
| 2015 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| 2014 | 28 | 10 | 18 | $5.4 million |
| 2013 | 32 | 28 | 4 | $6.2 million |
| 2012 | 43 | 37 | 6 | $6.3 million |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $179,000 |
| 2010 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2009 | 27 | 9 | 18 | $3.4 million |
| 2008 | 52 | 52 | 0 | $15.1 million |
| 2007 | 82 | 82 | 0 | $25 million |
| 2006 | 149 | 109 | 40 | $38.4 million |
| 2005 | 127 | 119 | 8 | $28.4 million |
| 2004 | 71 | 68 | 3 | $13.2 million |
| 2003 | 89 | 89 | 0 | $13 million |
| 2002 | 45 | 45 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| 2001 | 131 | 131 | 0 | $12.4 million |
| 2000 | 94 | 94 | 0 | $11 million |
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 $2,919 (Colorado: $2,602), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.46% 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+”.
Gypsum vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Gypsum has the lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Gypsum
Is Gypsum expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gypsum costs more than 78% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #83 of 158 in Colorado. The typical home costs 6.1 years of the median household income of the Edwards, CO micro area ($104K).
How much does a house cost in Gypsum?
About $693K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.3% in a year. The Colorado typical home is $529K.
What salary do you need to live in Gypsum?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $167,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,900 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $95,000.
How much is rent in Gypsum?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,380 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,183 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Gypsum?
The median bill is $2,919 a year, 0.46% of the median home value (Colorado: $2,602, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Gypsum going up?
Yes: up 1.3% in the past year and 38.1% in five years, against 6.2% across Colorado (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Gypsum 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.