Measured against area pay, Mitchell costs less to live in than 94% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Mitchell have risen about 52% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area ($80K). 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 the St. Louis metro earn ($80K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.4 years of metro income, and 0% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,040a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 95prices across the St. Louis metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 79)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$80K, St. Louis-area income
- 22%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Mitchell, in brief
Nearly every household owns
99% of Mitchell households own their home, against 67% across Illinois. There are only 5 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Mitchell home runs about $880 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,040. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Mitchell, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Mitchell’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Mitchell is more affordable than 94% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Home prices up 52% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Mitchell rose 52% over the past 5 years, faster than across Illinois (47%). Last year prices rose 6.8%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Mitchell home at roughly $136,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $136K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Mitchell, 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 1.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Mitchell’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Mitchell home, with $153K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,040 a month here, $160 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Mitchell’s typical property tax (1.45% 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 $1,040
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (St. Louis, MO-IL HUD Metro FMR Area): 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 Illinois norm
The median bill is $1,604 (Illinois: $5,298), 1.45% of a home’s value a year, against 2.01% 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 Mitchell
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area, or Illinois. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 95 | IL 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 100 | IL 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 70 | IL 85 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | IL 100 | 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.
Mitchell vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Mitchell.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell | A | — | $111K | 1.45% | $1,040 |
| Pontoon Beach | B− | $192K | $145K | 1.64% | $1,120 |
| Edwardsville | C− | $328K | $300K | 1.84% | $1,330 |
“—” 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 Mitchell
Is Mitchell expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Mitchell costs less than 94% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.4 years of the median household income of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area ($80K).
How much is rent in Mitchell?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,040 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Mitchell?
The median bill is $1,604 a year, 1.45% of the median home value (Illinois: $5,298, 2.01%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Mitchell 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.