Measured against area pay, Monroe Township costs less to live in than 86% of U.S. towns
It ranks #190 of 592 in Indiana for affordability. Home prices around Monroe Township have risen about 55% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Muncie, IN metro area ($58K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Muncie metro earn ($58K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.6 years of metro income, and 50% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,020a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Muncie metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 57)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$58K, Muncie-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Monroe Township
What’s behind Monroe Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Monroe Township is more affordable than 86% of U.S. towns, #190 of 592 in Indiana. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 55% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Monroe Township rose 55% over the past 5 years, about the same as across Indiana. Last year prices rose 4.1%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Monroe Township home at roughly $187,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $187K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Monroe Township, 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 2.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Monroe Township’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Monroe Township home, with $51K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,020 a month here, $40 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Monroe Township’s typical property tax (0.52% 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 $1,020
Renters already here pay a median of $935.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Muncie, IN 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 Indiana norm
The median bill is $781 (Indiana: $1,614), 0.52% of a home’s value a year, against 0.74% 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 Monroe Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Muncie, IN metro area, or Indiana. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 88 | IN 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | IN 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 86 | IN 86 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | IN 99 | 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.
Monroe Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Monroe Township. Perry Township and Prairie Township and Salem Township and Center 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Township | A | — | $152K | 0.52% | $1,020 |
| Center Township | B+ | — | $95K | 0.91% | $1,050 |
| Salem Township | B | — | $180K | 0.83% | $990 |
| Perry Township | C | — | $261K | 0.83% | $1,080 |
| Muncie | B+ | $154K | $97K | 0.92% | $1,070 |
| Prairie Township | A− | — | $195K | 0.61% | $980 |
“—” 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 Monroe Township
Is Monroe Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Monroe Township costs less than 86% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #190 of 592 in Indiana. The typical home costs 2.6 years of the median household income of the Muncie, IN metro area ($58K).
How much is rent in Monroe Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,020 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $935 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Monroe Township?
The median bill is $781 a year, 0.52% of the median home value (Indiana: $1,614, 0.74%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Monroe 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. 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.