Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Taunton costs more to live in than 85% of U.S. towns
It ranks #146 of 282 in Massachusetts for affordability. Up 3.9% in a year, 21% below the Massachusetts typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area ($87K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Taunton’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($87K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 25% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 57% of renters.
In dollars
- $518Ktypical home, 21% below the Massachusetts typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,250a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 102prices across the Providence metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 104)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$87K, Providence-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 57%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Massachusetts: 52%Census 2020–24
- 25%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Taunton, in brief
About half of homes sell above asking
In May, 57% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 68% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 1.6 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 2.6 across Massachusetts: 86 listings for 53 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
A burst of building in 2025
Taunton permitted 329 new homes in 2025, 97% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 118 in a typical year of the past decade. That’s 5.4 per 1,000 residents, against 1.8 across Massachusetts. New homes ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $2,250 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Taunton pay a median of $1,324. Renting ↓
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 Taunton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Taunton is more affordable than 15% of U.S. towns, #146 of 282 in Massachusetts. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Massachusetts: up 30.3% in five years, against 25.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 30.3% in five years
Faster than Massachusetts (25.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Taunton | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $271,000 | $378,000 |
| 2018 | $290,000 | $402,000 |
| 2019 | $304,000 | $421,000 |
| 2020 | $321,000 | $433,000 |
| 2021 | $365,000 | $479,000 |
| 2022 | $400,000 | $529,000 |
| 2023 | $436,000 | $565,000 |
| 2024 | $466,000 | $609,000 |
| 2025 | $496,000 | $640,000 |
| 2026 | $508,000 | $650,000 |
| September 2026 | $518,000 | $655,000 |
A typical Taunton home worth $264K in October 2016 is worth about $518K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 4.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Taunton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $185K short of a typical Taunton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,250 a month here, $910 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Taunton’s typical property tax (1.03% 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 $2,250
Renters already here pay a median of $1,324, 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 (Taunton-Mansfield-Norton, 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.
329 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 329 new homes in Taunton in 2025: 9 single-family houses and 320 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $52.7 million to build. That's 5.4 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Massachusetts (1.8). Over the past 10 years, Taunton has permitted 1,389 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Taunton gained 3,534 residents while 829 new homes were permitted: about 4.3 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) | 340 | 30 | 310 | $49.8 million |
| 2025 | 329 | 9 | 320 | $52.7 million |
| 2024 | 102 | 39 | 63 | $19.8 million |
| 2023 | 262 | 89 | 173 | $49.4 million |
| 2022 | 173 | 83 | 90 | $24.5 million |
| 2021 | 135 | 101 | 34 | $19.9 million |
| 2020 | 90 | 71 | 19 | $15 million |
| 2019 | 66 | 37 | 29 | $9.5 million |
| 2018 | 81 | 61 | 20 | $14.9 million |
| 2017 | 81 | 51 | 30 | $12.5 million |
| 2016 | 70 | 65 | 5 | $11.8 million |
| 2015 | 56 | 39 | 17 | $9.4 million |
| 2014 | 87 | 51 | 36 | $10.5 million |
| 2013 | 242 | 71 | 171 | $44.4 million |
| 2012 | 56 | 49 | 7 | $8.6 million |
| 2011 | 31 | 29 | 2 | $4.1 million |
| 2010 | 59 | 55 | 4 | $8.2 million |
| 2009 | 60 | 50 | 10 | $9.3 million |
| 2008 | 51 | 43 | 8 | $9.3 million |
| 2007 | 100 | 68 | 32 | $17.2 million |
| 2006 | 119 | 89 | 30 | $20.3 million |
| 2005 | 159 | 137 | 22 | $28 million |
| 2004 | 118 | 109 | 9 | $17 million |
| 2003 | 88 | 76 | 12 | $13.5 million |
| 2002 | 85 | 75 | 10 | $11.6 million |
| 2001 | 83 | 69 | 14 | $8.3 million |
| 2000 | 128 | 106 | 22 | $12.6 million |
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 Massachusetts norm
The median bill is $4,344 (Massachusetts: $5,992), 1.03% 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 Taunton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Providence-Warwick, RI-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 | 102 | MA 106 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | MA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 149 | MA 152 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 102 | 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.
Taunton vs. its neighbors
Of the 7 towns here with a Zillow value, Taunton has the lowest. North Lakeville has no Zillow value, so it is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taunton | C− | $518K | $423K | 1.03% | $2,250 |
| Raynham | D | $642K | $524K | 1.29% | $2,410 |
| Dighton | C− | $581K | $502K | 1.29% | $2,120 |
| Berkley | C− | $633K | $511K | 1.18% | $2,110 |
| Middleborough | C− | $569K | $469K | 1.29% | $2,560 |
| Lakeville | C− | $637K | $566K | 0.98% | $2,550 |
| North Lakeville | – | — | $543K | 0.95% | $2,550 |
| Norton | D | $594K | $501K | 1.18% | $2,840 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” 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 Taunton
Is Taunton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Taunton costs more than 85% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #146 of 282 in Massachusetts. The typical home costs 4.9 years of the median household income of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area ($87K).
How much does a house cost in Taunton?
About $518K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.9% in a year. The Massachusetts typical home is $655K.
What salary do you need to live in Taunton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $135,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,160 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $90,000.
How much is rent in Taunton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,250 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,324 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Taunton?
The median bill is $4,344 a year, 1.03% of the median home value (Massachusetts: $5,992, 1.07%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Taunton going up?
Yes: up 3.9% in the past year and 30.3% in five years, against 25.7% across Massachusetts (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Taunton 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.