Whitney Farm · Photo: Whitney Farm · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Appleton costs more to live in than 73% of U.S. towns
Up 0.9% in a year, 12% below the Maine typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Knox County, ME ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Knox County earn ($74K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.2 years of area income, and 85% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $361Ktypical home, 12% below the Maine typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,360a 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$74K, Knox County income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 36%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Appleton
A high property tax rate
Owners pay about 1.52% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 1.02% across Maine. The median bill is $3,588 (Maine: $3,036). On the typical home, that’s about $460 a month. Property taxes ↓
Building at more than twice the Maine pace
Builders were permitted 20 new homes in 2025: 15 per 1,000 residents, against 5.5 across Maine. That’s 93 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
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 Appleton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Appleton is more affordable than 27% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have lagged Maine: the typical Appleton home is up 14.7% in five years, against 26.8% statewide (Zillow).
Up 14.7% in five years
Slower than Maine (26.8%).
Show as a table
| January | Appleton | Maine |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $225,000 | $244,000 |
| 2021 | $268,000 | $285,000 |
| 2022 | $332,000 | $333,000 |
| 2023 | $360,000 | $364,000 |
| 2024 | $369,000 | $395,000 |
| 2025 | $369,000 | $408,000 |
| 2026 | $360,000 | $409,000 |
| September 2026 | $361,000 | $412,000 |
A typical Appleton home worth $222K in February 2019 is worth about $361K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 3.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Appleton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $96K short of a typical Appleton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,360 a month here, $990 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Appleton’s typical property tax (1.52% 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 $1,360
Renters already here pay a median of $1,104, 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 (Knox County, ME): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
20 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 20 new homes in Appleton in 2025: 18 single-family houses and 2 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $2.9 million to build. That's 15 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Maine (5.5). Over the past 10 years, Appleton has permitted 93 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Appleton gained 95 residents while 60 new homes were permitted: about 1.6 new residents per new home, more than across Maine (0.9): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2025 | 20 | 18 | 2 | $2.9 million |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2023 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2022 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2021 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2020 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $866,000 |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $866,000 |
| 2017 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2016 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $990,000 |
| 2013 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $762,000 |
| 2012 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $881,000 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $800,000 |
| 2009 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $800,000 |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2005 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2004 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2003 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $590,000 |
| 2002 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $590,000 |
| 2001 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $700,000 |
| 2000 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $600,000 |
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 Maine norm
The median bill is $3,588 (Maine: $3,036), 1.52% of a home’s value a year, against 1.02% 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+”.
Appleton vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, Appleton has the 3rd-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appleton | C | $361K | $236K | 1.52% | $1,360 |
| Hope | C− | $393K | $373K | 1.03% | $1,530 |
| Searsmont | B | $320K | $284K | 0.98% | $1,330 |
| Union | C+ | $390K | $268K | 1.22% | $1,360 |
| Liberty | – | $333K | $230K | 1.06% | $1,230 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Appleton
Is Appleton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Appleton costs more than 73% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.2 years of the median household income of Knox County, ME ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Appleton?
About $361K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.9% in a year. The Maine typical home is $412K.
What salary do you need to live in Appleton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $101,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,350 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $54,000.
How much is rent in Appleton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,360 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,104 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Appleton?
The median bill is $3,588 a year, 1.52% of the median home value (Maine: $3,036, 1.02%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Appleton going up?
Barely: up 0.9% in the past year and 14.7% in five years, against 26.8% across Maine (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Appleton 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.