Measured against area pay, Holden costs more to live in than 71% of U.S. towns
It ranks #96 of 143 in Maine for affordability. Up 2.6% in a year, 15% below the Maine typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Bangor, ME metro area ($66K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Bangor metro earn ($66K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 4.4 years of metro income, and 23% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $351Ktypical home, 15% below the Maine typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,840a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 97prices across the Bangor metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 78)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$66K, Bangor-area income
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Holden, in brief
Nearly every household owns
95% of Holden households own their home, against 74% across Maine. There are only 79 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Holden’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $348K falls short here but covers the typical home in Bucksport ($281K), Eddington ($302K) and Brewer ($302K). 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 Holden’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Holden is more affordable than 29% of U.S. towns, #96 of 143 in Maine. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Maine: up 28.4% in five years, against 26.8% statewide (Zillow).
Up 28.4% in five years
About the same pace as Maine (26.8%).
Show as a table
| January | Holden | Maine |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $185,000 | $205,000 |
| 2018 | $194,000 | $219,000 |
| 2019 | $207,000 | $232,000 |
| 2020 | $208,000 | $244,000 |
| 2021 | $240,000 | $285,000 |
| 2022 | $280,000 | $333,000 |
| 2023 | $297,000 | $364,000 |
| 2024 | $318,000 | $395,000 |
| 2025 | $339,000 | $408,000 |
| 2026 | $347,000 | $409,000 |
| September 2026 | $351,000 | $412,000 |
A typical Holden home worth $183K in October 2016 is worth about $351K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Holden’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $102K short of a typical Holden home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,840 a month here, $330 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Holden’s typical property tax (1.11% 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 $1,840
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Bangor, ME 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.
7 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 7 new homes in Holden in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.6 million to build. That's 2.1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Maine (5.5). Over the past 10 years, Holden has permitted 113 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Holden gained 201 residents while 96 new homes were permitted: about 2.1 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 | 7 | 2 | $2.4 million |
| 2025 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $799,000 |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2022 | 14 | 12 | 2 | $3.5 million |
| 2021 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2020 | 11 | 3 | 8 | $1.3 million |
| 2019 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2018 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2017 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2016 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2015 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2014 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2013 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2012 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2011 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2010 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2009 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2008 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2007 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2006 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2005 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2004 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2003 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2002 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2001 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2000 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $2.7 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 Maine norm
The median bill is $3,221 (Maine: $3,036), 1.11% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Holden
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Bangor, ME metro area, or Maine. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 97 | ME 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | ME 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 135 | ME 135 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 103 | ME 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.
Holden vs. its neighbors
Of the 6 towns here with a Zillow value, Holden has the 6th-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
Questions about the cost of living in Holden
Is Holden expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Holden costs more than 71% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #96 of 143 in Maine. The typical home costs 4.4 years of the median household income of the Bangor, ME metro area ($66K).
How much does a house cost in Holden?
About $351K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.6% in a year. The Maine typical home is $412K.
What salary do you need to live in Holden?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $93,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,170 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $74,000.
How much is rent in Holden?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,840 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Holden?
The median bill is $3,221 a year, 1.11% of the median home value (Maine: $3,036, 1.02%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Holden going up?
Yes: up 2.6% in the past year and 28.4% in five years, against 26.8% across Maine (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Holden 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.