Brooks House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Middlesborough costs more to live in than 71% of U.S. towns
It ranks #127 of 142 in Kentucky for affordability.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Middlesborough, KY micro area ($31K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Middlesborough-area micro earn ($31K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.2 years of area income, and 61% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $930a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$31K, Middlesborough-area income
- 23%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 61%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Kentucky: 45%Census 2020–24
- 26%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Middlesborough
About two in three renters are stretched
61% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 45% across Kentucky. A standard two-bedroom would take 36% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Very little new building
Middlesborough permitted 119 new homes over the past 10 years, about 1.4 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Kentucky, the pace in 2025 was 6.5. In 2025, Middlesborough permitted 14. New homes ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $930 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Middlesborough pay a median of $598. Renting ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Middlesborough lost 929 residents while 79 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Middlesborough, so the typical value is the Census median; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Middlesborough’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Middlesborough is more affordable than 29% of U.S. towns, #127 of 142 in Kentucky. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 7 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 23% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Middlesborough’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Middlesborough home, with $23K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $930 a month here, $340 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Middlesborough’s typical property tax (0.79% 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 $930
Renters already here pay a median of $598, 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 (Bell County, KY): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
14 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 14 new homes in Middlesborough in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.1 million to build. That's 1.5 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Kentucky (6.5). Over the past 10 years, Middlesborough has permitted 119 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Middlesborough's population fell by 929 even though 79 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) | 11 | 11 | 0 | $880,000 |
| 2025 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2024 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2023 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2022 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2021 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2020 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $960,000 |
| 2019 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $880,000 |
| 2018 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $800,000 |
| 2017 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $720,000 |
| 2016 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $640,000 |
| 2015 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $560,000 |
| 2014 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $560,000 |
| 2013 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $560,000 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2011 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $338,000 |
| 2010 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $706,000 |
| 2009 | 20 | 12 | 8 | $976,000 |
| 2008 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $437,000 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $390,000 |
| 2006 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $978,000 |
| 2005 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $547,000 |
| 2004 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $846,000 |
| 2003 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $922,000 |
| 2002 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2001 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2000 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $1.6 million |
Middlesborough'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 $786, under the Kentucky median of $1,544, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.79% 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+”.
Middlesborough and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesborough | C | — | $100K | 0.79% | $930 |
“—” 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 Middlesborough
Is Middlesborough expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Middlesborough costs more than 71% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #127 of 142 in Kentucky. The typical home costs 3.2 years of the median household income of the Middlesborough, KY micro area ($31K).
How much is rent in Middlesborough?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $930 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $598 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Middlesborough?
The median bill is $786 a year, 0.79% of the median home value (Kentucky: $1,544, 0.75%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Middlesborough buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. 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.