Measured against area pay, Santa Fe Township costs less to live in than 81% of U.S. towns
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
The grade compares costs with what households across the St. Louis metro earn ($80K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.6 years of metro income, and 7% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,030a 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
- 2.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$80K, St. Louis-area income
- 9%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 15%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Santa Fe Township
What’s behind Santa Fe Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Santa Fe Township is more affordable than 81% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
A year’s rent takes 9% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Santa Fe Township’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Santa Fe Township home, with $65K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,030 a month here, $390 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Santa Fe Township’s typical property tax (1.98% 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 $1,030
Renters already here pay a median of $593, 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 (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 $4,066 (Illinois: $5,298), 1.98% 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 Santa Fe Township
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.
Santa Fe Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Santa Fe Township. Germantown Township and Wade Township and Lake Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe Township | A− | — | $206K | 1.98% | $1,030 |
| Lake Township | – | — | $127K | 1.68% | $1,090 |
| Wade Township | A | — | $139K | 1.81% | $1,140 |
| Germantown Township | A− | — | $209K | 1.84% | $1,030 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Santa Fe Township
Is Santa Fe Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Santa Fe Township costs less than 81% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.6 years of the median household income of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area ($80K).
How much is rent in Santa Fe Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,030 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $593 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Santa Fe Township?
The median bill is $4,066 a year, 1.98% of the median home value (Illinois: $5,298, 2.01%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Santa Fe Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community 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.