Photo: Emmmmh · CC BY-SA 4.0Homes in Muncie cost about 1.7 years of local pay, but renters are stretched more than prices suggest
More affordable than 70% of U.S. towns, #355 of 592 in Indiana. Up 3.2% in a year, 40% below the Indiana typical home.
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
In dollars, Muncie is one of the least expensive places in Indiana. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Muncie-area incomes are lower too ($58K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 0.92% of a home’s value a year (Indiana: 0.74%), and 52% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $154Ktypical home, 40% below the Indiana typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,070a 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
- 1.7 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
- 52%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Indiana: 48%Census 2020–24
- 15%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Muncie’s housing numbers say
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Muncie home runs about $920 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070. Can I afford it? ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Muncie lost 4,891 residents while 691 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
A burst of building in 2024
Muncie permitted 103 new homes in 2024, 62% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 33 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 37. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Muncie’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Muncie is more affordable than 70% of U.S. towns, #355 of 592 in Indiana. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have outpaced Indiana: the typical Muncie home is up 38.5% in five years, against 28.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 38.5% in five years
Faster than Indiana (28.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Muncie | Indiana |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $75,000 | $133,000 |
| 2018 | $78,000 | $142,000 |
| 2019 | $83,000 | $152,000 |
| 2020 | $86,000 | $162,000 |
| 2021 | $99,000 | $180,000 |
| 2022 | $114,000 | $207,000 |
| 2023 | $125,000 | $224,000 |
| 2024 | $133,000 | $234,000 |
| 2025 | $146,000 | $246,000 |
| 2026 | $149,000 | $253,000 |
| September 2026 | $154,000 | $257,000 |
A typical Muncie home worth $73K in October 2016 is worth about $154K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 2.1 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 1.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Muncie’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Muncie home, with $72K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070 a month here, $150 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Muncie’s typical property tax (0.92% 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 $1,070
Renters already here pay a median of $904, 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 (Muncie, IN MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
37 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 37 new homes in Muncie in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $10.1 million to build. That's 0.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Indiana (6). Over the past 10 years, Muncie has permitted 403 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Muncie's population fell by 4,891 even though 691 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Indiana: 1.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 13 | 13 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2025 | 37 | 37 | 0 | $10.1 million |
| 2024 | 103 | 39 | 64 | $17.3 million |
| 2023 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2022 | 53 | 53 | 0 | $11 million |
| 2021 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2020 | 87 | 32 | 55 | $12.5 million |
| 2019 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2018 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2017 | 13 | 9 | 4 | $1.1 million |
| 2016 | 27 | 17 | 10 | $1.8 million |
| 2015 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2014 | 62 | 18 | 44 | $7.2 million |
| 2013 | 241 | 15 | 226 | $20 million |
| 2012 | 228 | 12 | 216 | $11.6 million |
| 2011 | 50 | 40 | 10 | $5 million |
| 2010 | 12 | 10 | 2 | $941,000 |
| 2009 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $395,000 |
| 2008 | 36 | 32 | 4 | $3 million |
| 2007 | 44 | 30 | 14 | $3.6 million |
| 2006 | 85 | 32 | 53 | $7 million |
| 2005 | 82 | 76 | 6 | $5.9 million |
| 2004 | 107 | 39 | 68 | $7.7 million |
| 2003 | 305 | 32 | 273 | $82.7 million |
| 2002 | 68 | 48 | 20 | $4.4 million |
| 2001 | 92 | 58 | 34 | $5.3 million |
| 2000 | 173 | 41 | 132 | $9.5 million |
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 $894, under the Indiana median of $1,614, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.92% 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 Muncie
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.
Muncie vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Muncie has the lowest. Hamilton Township and Monroe 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, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muncie | B+ | $154K | $97K | 0.92% | $1,070 |
| Yorktown | B+ | $248K | $187K | 0.83% | $1,040 |
| Center Township | B+ | — | $95K | 0.91% | $1,050 |
| Monroe Township | A | — | $152K | 0.52% | $1,020 |
| Hamilton Township | B | — | $187K | 0.79% | $1,070 |
“—” 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 Muncie
Is Muncie expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Muncie costs less than 70% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #355 of 592 in Indiana. The typical home costs 1.7 years of the median household income of the Muncie, IN metro area ($58K).
How much does a house cost in Muncie?
About $154K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.2% in a year. The Indiana typical home is $257K.
What salary do you need to live in Muncie?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $40,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $920 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $43,000.
How much is rent in Muncie?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,070 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $904 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Muncie?
The median bill is $894 a year, 0.92% of the median home value (Indiana: $1,614, 0.74%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Muncie going up?
Yes: up 3.2% in the past year and 38.5% in five years, against 28.7% across Indiana (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Muncie 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.