Photo: Steve Shook · CC BY 2.0Measured against area pay, Plummer costs less to live in than 62% of U.S. towns
Up 1.9% in a year, 35% below the Idaho typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Benewah County, ID ($60K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across Benewah County earn ($60K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.3 years of area income, and 56% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $311Ktypical home, 35% below the Idaho typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,320a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$60K, Benewah County income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 25%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Plummer
What’s behind Plummer’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Plummer is more affordable than 62% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Idaho: up 9.2% in five years, against 5.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 9.2% in five years
Faster than Idaho (5.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Plummer | Idaho |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $145,000 | $215,000 |
| 2018 | $159,000 | $235,000 |
| 2019 | $171,000 | $267,000 |
| 2020 | $189,000 | $296,000 |
| 2021 | $230,000 | $361,000 |
| 2022 | $318,000 | $467,000 |
| 2023 | $321,000 | $460,000 |
| 2024 | $318,000 | $456,000 |
| 2025 | $320,000 | $468,000 |
| 2026 | $303,000 | $474,000 |
| September 2026 | $311,000 | $477,000 |
A typical Plummer home worth $143K in October 2016 is worth about $311K 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 19% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Plummer’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $62K short of a typical Plummer home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,320 a month here, $430 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Plummer’s typical property tax (0.45% 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 $1,320
Renters already here pay a median of $932, 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 (Coeur d'Alene, ID MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
12 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 12 new homes in Plummer in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.2 million to build. That's 10 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Idaho as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Plummer has permitted 42 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Plummer's population fell by 29 even though 2 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Idaho: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2025 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $520,000 |
| 2022 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $315,000 |
| 2021 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $4.9 million |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $208,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $201,000 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 8 | 0 | 8 | $445,000 |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $126,000 |
| 2002 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $148,000 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $70,000 |
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 Idaho norm
The median bill is $883 (Idaho: $2,038), 0.45% of a home’s value a year, against 0.49% 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+”.
Plummer and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plummer | B | $311K | $197K | 0.45% | $1,320 |
Questions about the cost of living in Plummer
Is Plummer expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Plummer costs less than 62% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.3 years of the median household income of Benewah County, ID ($60K).
How much does a house cost in Plummer?
About $311K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.9% in a year. The Idaho typical home is $477K.
What salary do you need to live in Plummer?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $75,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,750 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $53,000.
How much is rent in Plummer?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,320 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $932 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Plummer?
The median bill is $883 a year, 0.45% of the median home value (Idaho: $2,038, 0.49%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Plummer going up?
Yes: up 1.9% in the past year and 9.2% in five years, against 5.7% across Idaho (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Plummer 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, September 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.