Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Suffield costs more to live in than 73% of U.S. towns
It ranks #51 of 155 in Connecticut for affordability. Up 5.9% in a year, 11% 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. Suffield’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: 19% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 51% of renters.
In dollars
- $498Ktypical home, 11% above the Connecticut typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,840a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$95K, Hartford-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 51%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Connecticut: 53%Census 2020–24
- 19%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Suffield
What’s behind Suffield’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Suffield is more affordable than 27% of U.S. towns, #51 of 155 in Connecticut. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Connecticut: up 44.9% in five years, against 41.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 44.9% in five years
Faster than Connecticut (41.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Suffield | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $274,000 | $245,000 |
| 2018 | $281,000 | $253,000 |
| 2019 | $284,000 | $255,000 |
| 2020 | $288,000 | $261,000 |
| 2021 | $316,000 | $289,000 |
| 2022 | $353,000 | $322,000 |
| 2023 | $384,000 | $353,000 |
| 2024 | $423,000 | $391,000 |
| 2025 | $446,000 | $415,000 |
| 2026 | $481,000 | $433,000 |
| September 2026 | $498,000 | $447,000 |
A typical Suffield home worth $272K in October 2016 is worth about $498K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Suffield’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $160K short of a typical Suffield home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,840 a month here, $1,430 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Suffield’s typical property tax (1.58% 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 $1,840
Renters already here pay a median of $1,424, 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.
9 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 9 new homes in Suffield in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $4.1 million to build. That's 0.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Connecticut (2). Over the past 10 years, Suffield has permitted 360 homes in all.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 14 | 14 | 0 | $6.7 million |
| 2025 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2024 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $8.3 million |
| 2023 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $12.5 million |
| 2022 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $13.6 million |
| 2021 | 47 | 47 | 0 | $16.2 million |
| 2020 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $12.1 million |
| 2019 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $11.1 million |
| 2018 | 62 | 26 | 36 | $14.1 million |
| 2017 | 66 | 30 | 36 | $16.1 million |
| 2016 | 34 | 34 | 0 | $11.9 million |
| 2015 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $11.2 million |
| 2014 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $8.9 million |
| 2013 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $9.7 million |
| 2012 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $6.7 million |
| 2011 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $6.4 million |
| 2010 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2009 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| 2008 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| 2007 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| 2006 | 65 | 65 | 0 | $12 million |
| 2005 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $15.8 million |
| 2004 | 70 | 70 | 0 | $14.1 million |
| 2003 | 80 | 80 | 0 | $15.8 million |
| 2002 | 86 | 86 | 0 | $14.3 million |
| 2001 | 68 | 68 | 0 | $10.9 million |
| 2000 | 83 | 83 | 0 | $13 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 Connecticut norm
The median bill is $6,456 (Connecticut: $6,643), 1.58% 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+”.
Suffield vs. its neighbors
Of the 6 towns here with a Zillow value, Suffield has the 6th-lowest. Windsor Locks and Thompsonville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffield | C | $498K | $408K | 1.58% | $1,840 |
| Southwick | D | $412K | $398K | 1.34% | $1,810 |
| East Granby | C | $441K | $388K | 1.82% | $1,600 |
| Enfield | C | $336K | $253K | 2.12% | $2,020 |
| Windsor Locks | C+ | — | $259K | 1.43% | $1,790 |
| Agawam Town | C− | $368K | $312K | 1.36% | $1,820 |
| Thompsonville | – | — | $242K | 2.27% | $2,020 |
| Granby | C | $491K | $368K | 2.28% | $1,990 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Suffield
Is Suffield expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Suffield costs more than 73% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #51 of 155 in Connecticut. The typical home costs 4.3 years of the median household income of the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area ($95K).
How much does a house cost in Suffield?
About $498K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 5.9% in a year. The Connecticut typical home is $447K.
What salary do you need to live in Suffield?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $140,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,270 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $74,000.
How much is rent in Suffield?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,840 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,424 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Suffield?
The median bill is $6,456 a year, 1.58% of the median home value (Connecticut: $6,643, 1.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Suffield going up?
Yes: up 5.9% in the past year and 44.9% in five years, against 41.1% across Connecticut (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Suffield 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.