Photo: Chris Light. · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Marion costs less to live in than 89% of U.S. towns
It ranks #10 of 142 in Kentucky for affordability. Down 9.7% in a year, 42% below the Kentucky typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Crittenden County, KY ($47K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Crittenden County earn ($47K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.1 years of area income, and 15% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $134Ktypical home, 42% below the Kentucky typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $870a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$47K, Crittenden County income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 15%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Kentucky: 45%Census 2020–24
- 19%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Marion
Prices are 17% below their 2025 peak
The typical Marion home peaked at $162K in February 2025 and is worth about $134K now. Across Kentucky, values are at or near their high. Over five years, Marion is down 9.1%. Price trend ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Marion home runs about $770 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $870. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Marion’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Marion is more affordable than 89% of U.S. towns, #10 of 142 in Kentucky. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged Kentucky: the typical Marion home is down 9.1% in five years, against 24.7% statewide (Zillow).
Down 9.1% in five years
Slower than Kentucky (24.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Marion | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $114,000 | $130,000 |
| 2018 | $122,000 | $137,000 |
| 2019 | $124,000 | $145,000 |
| 2020 | $129,000 | $154,000 |
| 2021 | $146,000 | $172,000 |
| 2022 | $149,000 | $190,000 |
| 2023 | $155,000 | $206,000 |
| 2024 | $147,000 | $215,000 |
| 2025 | $160,000 | $227,000 |
| 2026 | $145,000 | $231,000 |
| September 2026 | $134,000 | $231,000 |
A typical Marion home worth $115K in October 2016 is worth about $134K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Marion’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Marion home, with $57K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $870 a month here, $100 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Marion’s typical property tax (0.58% 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 $870
Renters already here pay a median of $688, 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 (Livingston County, KY 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.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Marion in 2025. That's 0.3 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Kentucky (6.5). Over the past 10 years, Marion has permitted 58 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Marion's population fell by 123 even though 14 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Kentucky: 1.6 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 17 | 2 | 15 | $2 million |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2024 | 48 | 0 | 48 | $5.9 million |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $316,000 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $316,000 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $48,000 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $64,000 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2010 | 5 | 1 | 4 | $499,000 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $388,000 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $380,000 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $105,000 |
| 2003 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $160,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Kentucky norm
The median bill is $569 (Kentucky: $1,544), 0.58% of a home’s value a year, against 0.75% 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+”.
Marion 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | A | $134K | $97K | 0.58% | $870 |
Questions about the cost of living in Marion
Is Marion expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Marion costs less than 89% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #10 of 142 in Kentucky. The typical home costs 2.1 years of the median household income of Crittenden County, KY ($47K).
How much does a house cost in Marion?
About $134K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 9.7% in a year. The Kentucky typical home is $231K.
What salary do you need to live in Marion?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $33,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $770 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $35,000.
How much is rent in Marion?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $870 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $688 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Marion?
The median bill is $569 a year, 0.58% of the median home value (Kentucky: $1,544, 0.75%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Marion going up?
No: down 9.7% in the past year and -9.1% in five years, against 24.7% across Kentucky (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Marion 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. 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.