Photo: w:Flickr user Paul Keleher · CC BY 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Grafton costs more to live in than 84% of U.S. towns
It ranks #132 of 282 in Massachusetts for affordability. Up 2.4% in a year, 7% below the Massachusetts typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Worcester, MA metro area ($96K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Grafton’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($96K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 20% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 45% of renters.
In dollars
- $608Ktypical home, 7% below the Massachusetts typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,460a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 103prices across the Worcester metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 113)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$96K, Worcester-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 45%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Massachusetts: 52%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Grafton, in brief
Building at 8 times the Massachusetts pace
Builders were permitted 277 new homes in 2025: 14 per 1,000 residents, against 1.8 across Massachusetts. That’s 1,003 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $2,460 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Grafton pay a median of $1,504. Renting ↓
A burst of building in 2024
Grafton permitted 282 new homes in 2024, 61% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 80 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 277. New homes ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Grafton’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $480K falls short here but covers the typical home in Worcester ($433K). Can I afford it? ↓
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 Grafton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Grafton is more affordable than 16% of U.S. towns, #132 of 282 in Massachusetts. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have outpaced Massachusetts: the typical Grafton home is up 32.1% in five years, against 25.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 32.1% in five years
Faster than Massachusetts (25.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Grafton | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $338,000 | $378,000 |
| 2018 | $358,000 | $402,000 |
| 2019 | $370,000 | $421,000 |
| 2020 | $379,000 | $433,000 |
| 2021 | $420,000 | $479,000 |
| 2022 | $468,000 | $529,000 |
| 2023 | $507,000 | $565,000 |
| 2024 | $554,000 | $609,000 |
| 2025 | $587,000 | $640,000 |
| 2026 | $605,000 | $650,000 |
| September 2026 | $608,000 | $655,000 |
A typical Grafton home worth $333K in October 2016 is worth about $608K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 19 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 typical home costs 5.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Grafton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $256K short of a typical Grafton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,460 a month here, $1,410 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Grafton’s typical property tax (1.35% 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 $2,460
Renters already here pay a median of $1,504, 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 (Worcester, MA 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.
277 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 277 new homes in Grafton in 2025: 53 single-family houses and 224 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $63.7 million to build. That's 14 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Massachusetts (1.8). Over the past 10 years, Grafton has permitted 1,003 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Grafton gained 1,899 residents while 481 new homes were permitted: about 3.9 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Massachusetts: 3.4 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 248 | 30 | 218 | $35.4 million |
| 2025 | 277 | 53 | 224 | $63.7 million |
| 2024 | 282 | 110 | 172 | $79.6 million |
| 2023 | 95 | 93 | 2 | $42.8 million |
| 2022 | 71 | 28 | 43 | $22 million |
| 2021 | 46 | 38 | 8 | $19.9 million |
| 2020 | 87 | 69 | 18 | $22.9 million |
| 2019 | 36 | 24 | 12 | $12.9 million |
| 2018 | 34 | 18 | 16 | $8.2 million |
| 2017 | 42 | 42 | 0 | $11.7 million |
| 2016 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $8.3 million |
| 2015 | 52 | 52 | 0 | $11.2 million |
| 2014 | 62 | 62 | 0 | $13.5 million |
| 2013 | 85 | 85 | 0 | $16 million |
| 2012 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $9.2 million |
| 2011 | 56 | 56 | 0 | $10.7 million |
| 2010 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $7.7 million |
| 2009 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| 2008 | 32 | 30 | 2 | $6.4 million |
| 2007 | 58 | 56 | 2 | $11.5 million |
| 2006 | 142 | 142 | 0 | $22.3 million |
| 2005 | 274 | 259 | 15 | $44.9 million |
| 2004 | 288 | 288 | 0 | $49.3 million |
| 2003 | 177 | 172 | 5 | $30.3 million |
| 2002 | 106 | 96 | 10 | $17.8 million |
| 2001 | 166 | 166 | 0 | $23.5 million |
| 2000 | 116 | 95 | 21 | $14.8 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Massachusetts norm
The median bill is $7,117 (Massachusetts: $5,992), 1.35% of a home’s value a year, against 1.07% 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 Grafton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Worcester, MA metro area, or Massachusetts. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 103 | MA 106 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | MA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 155 | MA 152 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 101 | MA 103 | 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.
Grafton vs. its neighbors
Of the 8 towns here with a Zillow value, Grafton has the 4th-lowest.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | C− | $608K | $525K | 1.35% | $2,460 |
| Upton | C | $710K | $577K | 1.45% | $2,090 |
| Westborough | D− | $727K | $685K | 1.46% | $2,880 |
| Shrewsbury | D | $686K | $592K | 1.17% | $2,800 |
| Sutton | C+ | $641K | $523K | 1.29% | $2,070 |
| Northbridge | C | $512K | $449K | 1.07% | $1,810 |
| Millbury | D | $501K | $450K | 1.20% | $2,080 |
| Worcester | C− | $433K | $374K | 1.26% | $2,130 |
Questions about the cost of living in Grafton
Is Grafton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Grafton costs more than 84% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #132 of 282 in Massachusetts. The typical home costs 5.5 years of the median household income of the Worcester, MA metro area ($96K).
How much does a house cost in Grafton?
About $608K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.4% in a year. The Massachusetts typical home is $655K.
What salary do you need to live in Grafton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $166,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,870 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $98,000.
How much is rent in Grafton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,460 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,504 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Grafton?
The median bill is $7,117 a year, 1.35% of the median home value (Massachusetts: $5,992, 1.07%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Grafton going up?
Yes: up 2.4% in the past year and 32.1% in five years, against 25.7% across Massachusetts (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Grafton 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.