Bonwell House · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Riverview costs more to live in than 57% of U.S. towns
It ranks #18 of 37 in Delaware for affordability. Home prices around Riverview have risen about 58% over the past 5 years.
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 September 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. Riverview’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($74K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still.
In dollars
- $1,380a 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
- 4.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Dover-area income
- 32%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Riverview
What’s behind Riverview’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Riverview is more affordable than 43% of U.S. towns, #18 of 37 in Delaware. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 58% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Riverview rose 58% over the past 5 years, faster than across Delaware (51%). Last year prices rose 2.5%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Riverview home at roughly $379,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $379K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Riverview, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 4.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Riverview’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $70K short of a typical Riverview home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,380 a month here, $730 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Riverview’s typical property tax (0.40% 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 $1,380
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.
Property tax runs below the Delaware norm
The median bill is $1,272 (Delaware: $1,768), 0.40% 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 Riverview
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.
Riverview and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview | C+ | — | $320K | 0.40% | $1,380 |
“—” 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 Riverview
Is Riverview expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Riverview costs more than 57% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #18 of 37 in Delaware. The typical home costs 4.3 years of the median household income of the Dover, DE metro area ($74K).
How much is rent in Riverview?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,380 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Riverview?
The median bill is $1,272 a year, 0.40% of the median home value (Delaware: $1,768, 0.50%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Riverview buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.