Measured against area pay, New Berlin costs less to live in than 74% of U.S. towns
Up 6.9% in a year, 34% below the Illinois typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Springfield, IL metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in May 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 Springfield metro earn ($76K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.2 years of metro income, and 49% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $197Ktypical home, 34% below the Illinois typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,140a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 93prices across the Springfield metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 72)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Springfield-area income
- 10%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 kind of housing town is New Berlin?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind New Berlin’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, New Berlin is more affordable than 74% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Illinois: the typical New Berlin home is up 34.9% in five years, against 29.6% statewide (Zillow).
Up 34.9% in five years
Faster than Illinois (29.6%).
Show as a table
| January | New Berlin | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $126,000 | $179,000 |
| 2018 | $128,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $129,000 | $193,000 |
| 2020 | $135,000 | $198,000 |
| 2021 | $140,000 | $213,000 |
| 2022 | $146,000 | $233,000 |
| 2023 | $155,000 | $246,000 |
| 2024 | $168,000 | $260,000 |
| 2025 | $180,000 | $275,000 |
| 2026 | $189,000 | $287,000 |
| September 2026 | $197,000 | $296,000 |
A typical New Berlin home worth $126K in October 2016 is worth about $197K 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 10% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to New Berlin’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical New Berlin home, with $57K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,140 a month here, $240 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, New Berlin’s typical property tax (2.11% 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 $1,140
Renters already here pay a median of $643, 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 (Springfield, IL MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in New Berlin in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1 million to build. That's 2.1 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Illinois (1.6). Over the past 10 years, New Berlin has permitted 25 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, New Berlin gained 35 residents while 25 new homes were permitted: about 1.4 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $385,000 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $230,000 |
| 2018 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $995,000 |
| 2017 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $470,000 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $100,000 |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $485,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $126,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $125,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $135,000 |
| 2011 | 4 | 0 | 4 | $400,000 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $835,000 |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $520,000 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $380,000 |
| 2006 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $262,000 |
| 2005 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $451,000 |
| 2004 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $840,000 |
| 2003 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2002 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2001 | 9 | 5 | 4 | $835,000 |
| 2000 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $1.5 million |
New Berlin'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.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $3,444, under the Illinois median of $5,298, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 2.11% 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 New Berlin
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Springfield, 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 | 93 | IL 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | IL 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 90 | IL 85 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 100 | 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.
New Berlin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Berlin | B+ | $197K | $163K | 2.11% | $1,140 |
Questions about the cost of living in New Berlin
Is New Berlin expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, New Berlin costs less than 74% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.2 years of the median household income of the Springfield, IL metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in New Berlin?
About $197K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 6.9% in a year. The Illinois typical home is $296K.
What salary do you need to live in New Berlin?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $59,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,380 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $46,000.
How much is rent in New Berlin?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,140 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $643 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in New Berlin?
The median bill is $3,444 a year, 2.11% of the median home value (Illinois: $5,298, 2.01%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in New Berlin going up?
Yes: up 6.9% in the past year and 34.9% in five years, against 29.6% across Illinois (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What New Berlin 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.