Photo: Juliejules · CC BY 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Old Saybrook costs more to live in than 89% of U.S. towns
It ranks #109 of 155 in Connecticut for affordability. Up 5.3% in a year, 56% above the Connecticut typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area ($95K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Old Saybrook’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($95K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 22% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 62% of renters.
In dollars
- $699Ktypical home, 56% above the Connecticut typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,420a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$95K, Hartford-area income
- 23%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 62%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Connecticut: 53%Census 2020–24
- 22%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Old Saybrook
A second-home town
21% of Old Saybrook’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Property taxes ↓
A low property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.98% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 1.81% across Connecticut. The median bill is $5,272 (Connecticut: $6,643). Property taxes ↓
Building at about twice the Connecticut pace
Builders were permitted 45 new homes in 2025: 4.3 per 1,000 residents, against 2 across Connecticut. That’s 223 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Old Saybrook’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $439K falls short here but covers the typical home in Westbrook Center ($435K). Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Old Saybrook’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Old Saybrook is more affordable than 11% of U.S. towns, #109 of 155 in Connecticut. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have outpaced Connecticut: the typical Old Saybrook home is up 52.0% in five years, against 41.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 52% in five years
Faster than Connecticut (41.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Old Saybrook | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $351,000 | $245,000 |
| 2018 | $358,000 | $253,000 |
| 2019 | $361,000 | $255,000 |
| 2020 | $368,000 | $261,000 |
| 2021 | $412,000 | $289,000 |
| 2022 | $467,000 | $322,000 |
| 2023 | $533,000 | $353,000 |
| 2024 | $600,000 | $391,000 |
| 2025 | $628,000 | $415,000 |
| 2026 | $664,000 | $433,000 |
| September 2026 | $699,000 | $447,000 |
A typical Old Saybrook home worth $349K in October 2016 is worth about $699K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Old Saybrook’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $333K short of a typical Old Saybrook home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,420 a month here, $1,820 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Old Saybrook’s typical property tax (0.98% 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 $2,420
Renters already here pay a median of $1,846, 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 (Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
45 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 45 new homes in Old Saybrook in 2025: 5 single-family houses and 40 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $5 million to build. That's 4.3 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Connecticut (2). Over the past 10 years, Old Saybrook has permitted 223 homes in all.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 25 | 3 | 22 | $2.8 million |
| 2025 | 45 | 5 | 40 | $5 million |
| 2024 | 32 | 7 | 25 | $4.6 million |
| 2023 | 40 | 6 | 34 | $4.8 million |
| 2022 | 8 | 6 | 2 | $4 million |
| 2021 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2020 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2019 | 15 | 9 | 6 | $2.8 million |
| 2018 | 16 | 14 | 2 | $3 million |
| 2017 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2016 | 33 | 16 | 17 | $7.4 million |
| 2015 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2014 | 12 | 10 | 2 | $4.4 million |
| 2013 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $6.8 million |
| 2012 | 26 | 18 | 8 | $5.9 million |
| 2011 | 25 | 9 | 16 | $4.8 million |
| 2010 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2009 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $3.7 million |
| 2008 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2007 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $4.8 million |
| 2006 | 24 | 22 | 2 | $5.9 million |
| 2005 | 64 | 60 | 4 | $14.6 million |
| 2004 | 58 | 58 | 0 | $13.3 million |
| 2003 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2002 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $6.5 million |
| 2001 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2000 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $3.6 million |
Old Saybrook's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
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 Connecticut norm
The median bill is $5,272 (Connecticut: $6,643), 0.98% of a home’s value a year, against 1.81% 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+”.
Old Saybrook vs. its neighbors
Of the 4 towns here with a Zillow value, Old Saybrook has the 4th-lowest. Essex Village and Saybrook Manor and Old Saybrook Center and Westbrook Center have no Zillow value, so they are 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Saybrook | D | $699K | $538K | 0.98% | $2,420 |
| Old Lyme | D | $678K | $484K | 1.30% | $2,430 |
| Westbrook | C− | $585K | $434K | 1.34% | $1,790 |
| Essex | D | $635K | $552K | 1.03% | $1,920 |
| Essex Village | – | — | $752K | 0.94% | $2,130 |
| Saybrook Manor | – | — | $586K | 0.83% | $2,420 |
| Westbrook Center | – | — | $435K | 1.40% | $1,790 |
| Old Saybrook Center | – | — | $466K | 1.16% | $2,420 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” 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 Old Saybrook
Is Old Saybrook expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Old Saybrook costs more than 89% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #109 of 155 in Connecticut. The typical home costs 5.7 years of the median household income of the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area ($95K).
How much does a house cost in Old Saybrook?
About $699K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 5.3% in a year. The Connecticut typical home is $447K.
What salary do you need to live in Old Saybrook?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $182,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $4,240 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $97,000.
How much is rent in Old Saybrook?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,420 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,846 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Old Saybrook?
The median bill is $5,272 a year, 0.98% of the median home value (Connecticut: $6,643, 1.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Old Saybrook going up?
Yes: up 5.3% in the past year and 52.0% in five years, against 41.1% across Connecticut (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Old Saybrook 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. 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.