Camden Friends Meetinghouse · Photo: Smallbones · CC0Even on the area’s higher pay, Camden costs more to live in than 74% of U.S. towns
It ranks #33 of 37 in Delaware for affordability. Up 3.1% in a year, close to the Delaware typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Dover, DE metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Camden’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($74K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 26% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 78% of renters.
In dollars
- $413Ktypical home, 2% above the Delaware typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,540a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 98prices across the Dover metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 96)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Dover-area income
- 30%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 78%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Delaware: 50%Census 2020–24
- 26%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Camden, in brief
About three in four renters are stretched
78% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 50% across Delaware. A standard two-bedroom would take 29% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Mostly newer homes
Half of Camden’s homes were built after 2001, against 1987 for Delaware as a whole. Property taxes ↓
The priciest town in its area
Camden tops the three neighboring towns with a Zillow value. The next most expensive is Kent Acres at $352K; the least, Rodney Village at $257K. Vs. neighbors ↓
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 388 homes permitted in Camden’s past 10 years, 72% were in buildings with two or more homes, not single-family houses. 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 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Camden’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Camden is more affordable than 26% of U.S. towns, #33 of 37 in Delaware. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Delaware: the typical Camden home is up 31.2% in five years, against 21.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 31.2% in five years
Faster than Delaware (21.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Camden | Delaware |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $224,000 | $255,000 |
| 2018 | $228,000 | $262,000 |
| 2019 | $235,000 | $270,000 |
| 2020 | $252,000 | $276,000 |
| 2021 | $283,000 | $305,000 |
| 2022 | $329,000 | $343,000 |
| 2023 | $356,000 | $369,000 |
| 2024 | $376,000 | $386,000 |
| 2025 | $391,000 | $396,000 |
| 2026 | $405,000 | $403,000 |
| September 2026 | $413,000 | $405,000 |
A typical Camden home worth $223K in October 2016 is worth about $413K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 30% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Camden’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $106K short of a typical Camden home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,540 a month here, $780 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Camden’s typical property tax (0.44% 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 $1,540
Renters already here pay a median of $1,836.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Dover, DE MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Camden in 2025. The last year with any was 2024 (2 new homes).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Camden gained 251 residents while 138 new homes were permitted: about 1.8 new residents per new home, about the same as across Delaware (1.8).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $270,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $350,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $350,000 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 263 | 71 | 192 | $38.2 million |
| 2019 | 42 | 20 | 22 | $3.8 million |
| 2018 | 37 | 3 | 34 | $3.7 million |
| 2017 | 25 | 1 | 24 | $2.5 million |
| 2016 | 17 | 9 | 8 | $1.6 million |
| 2015 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $771,000 |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $307,000 |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $307,000 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $104,000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $205,000 |
| 2009 | 16 | 12 | 4 | $1.6 million |
| 2008 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2007 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2006 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2005 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2004 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2003 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2002 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2001 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2000 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $2.2 million |
Camden'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 Delaware norm
The median bill is $1,333 (Delaware: $1,768), 0.44% of a home’s value a year, against 0.50% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Camden
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Dover, DE metro area, or Delaware. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 98 | DE 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | DE 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 97 | DE 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | DE 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Camden vs. its neighbors
Of the 4 towns here with a Zillow value, Camden has the 4th-lowest. Highland Acres 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | C | $413K | $300K | 0.44% | $1,540 |
| Wyoming | C | $307K | $291K | 0.54% | $1,610 |
| Highland Acres | B− | — | $306K | 0.53% | $1,540 |
| Rodney Village | B− | $257K | $167K | 0.69% | $1,400 |
| Kent Acres | C | $352K | $242K | 0.58% | $1,540 |
“—” 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 Camden
Is Camden expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Camden costs more than 74% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #33 of 37 in Delaware. The typical home costs 4.0 years of the median household income of the Dover, DE metro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Camden?
About $413K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.1% in a year. The Delaware typical home is $405K.
What salary do you need to live in Camden?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $99,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,320 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $62,000.
How much is rent in Camden?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,540 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,836 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Camden?
The median bill is $1,333 a year, 0.44% of the median home value (Delaware: $1,768, 0.50%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Camden going up?
Yes: up 3.1% in the past year and 31.2% in five years, against 21.5% across Delaware (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Camden 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.