Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Windham costs more to live in than 62% of U.S. towns
It ranks #22 of 155 in Connecticut for affordability. Up 2.5% in a year, 26% below the Connecticut typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area ($87K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Windham’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($87K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 25% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 57% of renters.
In dollars
- $332Ktypical home, 26% below the Connecticut typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,130a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$87K, Norwich-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 57%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Connecticut: 53%Census 2020–24
- 25%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Windham
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $2,130 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Windham pay a median of $1,107. Renting ↓
2026 has already passed 2025
Through August, Windham had permitted 121 new homes in 2026, more than the 10 in all of 2025. New homes ↓
About half of Windham rents
53% of households rent their home, 4,546 in all, against 34% across Connecticut. Renting ↓
Very little new building
Windham permitted 48 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.2 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Connecticut, the pace in 2025 was 2. In 2025, Windham permitted 10. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Windham’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Windham is more affordable than 38% of U.S. towns, #22 of 155 in Connecticut. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Connecticut: up 37.7% in five years, against 41.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 37.7% in five years
Slower than Connecticut (41.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Windham | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $169,000 | $245,000 |
| 2018 | $181,000 | $253,000 |
| 2019 | $187,000 | $255,000 |
| 2020 | $196,000 | $261,000 |
| 2021 | $223,000 | $289,000 |
| 2022 | $240,000 | $322,000 |
| 2023 | $263,000 | $353,000 |
| 2024 | $284,000 | $391,000 |
| 2025 | $310,000 | $415,000 |
| 2026 | $325,000 | $433,000 |
| September 2026 | $332,000 | $447,000 |
A typical Windham home worth $168K in October 2016 is worth about $332K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Windham’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $46K short of a typical Windham home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,130 a month here, $220 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Windham’s typical property tax (2.21% 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 $2,130
Renters already here pay a median of $1,107, 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 (Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
10 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 10 new homes in Windham in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.8 million to build. That's 0.4 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Connecticut (2). Over the past 10 years, Windham has permitted 48 homes in all.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 121 | 5 | 116 | $6 million |
| 2025 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $451,000 |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $199,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $463,000 |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $994,000 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $265,000 |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $588,000 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $401,000 |
| 2015 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2014 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2013 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $685,000 |
| 2012 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $635,000 |
| 2011 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $753,000 |
| 2010 | 71 | 15 | 56 | $5.2 million |
| 2009 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2008 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2007 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2006 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2005 | 66 | 54 | 12 | $6 million |
| 2004 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2003 | 26 | 20 | 6 | $2.2 million |
| 2002 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2001 | 26 | 20 | 6 | $1.8 million |
| 2000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $311,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $4,633, under the Connecticut median of $6,643, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 2.21% 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+”.
Windham vs. its neighbors
Of the 8 towns here with a Zillow value, Windham has the 3rd-lowest.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windham | C+ | $332K | $210K | 2.21% | $2,130 |
| Mansfield | C− | $401K | $335K | 1.71% | $2,100 |
| Willimantic | – | $277K | $191K | 2.45% | $1,810 |
| Coventry | C+ | $402K | $330K | 1.60% | $1,890 |
| Lebanon | C− | $426K | $346K | 1.63% | $1,890 |
| South Windham | – | $296K | $214K | 2.10% | $1,840 |
| Franklin | B+ | $419K | $326K | 1.21% | $1,470 |
| Columbia | B | $439K | $362K | 1.45% | $1,300 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Windham
Is Windham expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Windham costs more than 62% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #22 of 155 in Connecticut. The typical home costs 2.4 years of the median household income of the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area ($87K).
How much does a house cost in Windham?
About $332K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.5% in a year. The Connecticut typical home is $447K.
What salary do you need to live in Windham?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $101,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,350 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $85,000.
How much is rent in Windham?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,130 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,107 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Windham?
The median bill is $4,633 a year, 2.21% of the median home value (Connecticut: $6,643, 1.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Windham going up?
Yes: up 2.5% in the past year and 37.7% in five years, against 41.1% across Connecticut (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Windham 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.