Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Measured against area pay, Mapleton costs less to live in than 91% of U.S. towns
Up 3.9% in a year, 28% below the Minnesota typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Mankato, MN metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Mankato metro earn ($76K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.4 years of metro income, and 50% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $251Ktypical home, 28% below the Minnesota typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,060a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 91prices across the Mankato metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 80)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Mankato-area income
- 12%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Mapleton’s housing numbers say
Values rose faster than Minnesota’s over five years
The typical Mapleton home is up 31% in five years, against 14% across Minnesota. Since October 2016 it has about doubled, from $133K to $251K. Price trend ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Mapleton’s homes were built before 1955, against 1979 for Minnesota as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
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 Mapleton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Mapleton is more affordable than 91% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Minnesota: the typical Mapleton home is up 31.0% in five years, against 14.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 31% in five years
Faster than Minnesota (14.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Mapleton | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $136,000 | $216,000 |
| 2018 | $146,000 | $231,000 |
| 2019 | $152,000 | $245,000 |
| 2020 | $161,000 | $257,000 |
| 2021 | $173,000 | $280,000 |
| 2022 | $195,000 | $311,000 |
| 2023 | $216,000 | $322,000 |
| 2024 | $222,000 | $329,000 |
| 2025 | $235,000 | $338,000 |
| 2026 | $245,000 | $346,000 |
| September 2026 | $251,000 | $349,000 |
A typical Mapleton home worth $133K in October 2016 is worth about $251K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Mapleton’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Mapleton home, with $29K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,060 a month here, $530 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Mapleton’s typical property tax (1.30% 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 $1,060
Renters already here pay a median of $782, 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 (Mankato, MN MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Mapleton in 2025. That's 0.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Minnesota (3.8). Over the past 10 years, Mapleton has permitted 10 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Mapleton's population fell by 46 even though 14 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Minnesota: 2.2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 1 | 1 | 0 | $367,000 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $367,000 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $259,000 |
| 2018 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $537,000 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $776,000 |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $508,000 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $367,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $173,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $320,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $336,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $322,000 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $298,000 |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $447,000 |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $138,000 |
| 2004 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2003 | 10 | 4 | 6 | $957,000 |
| 2002 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2001 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $559,000 |
| 2000 | 6 | 2 | 4 | $442,000 |
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 $2,369, under the Minnesota median of $3,357, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.30% 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 Mapleton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Mankato, MN metro area, or Minnesota. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 91 | MN 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 95 | MN 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 87 | MN 91 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 92 | MN 100 | 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.
Mapleton and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mapleton | A | $251K | $182K | 1.30% | $1,060 |
Questions about the cost of living in Mapleton
Is Mapleton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Mapleton costs less than 91% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.4 years of the median household income of the Mankato, MN metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in Mapleton?
About $251K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.9% in a year. The Minnesota typical home is $349K.
What salary do you need to live in Mapleton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $68,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,590 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $42,000.
How much is rent in Mapleton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,060 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $782 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Mapleton?
The median bill is $2,369 a year, 1.30% of the median home value (Minnesota: $3,357, 1.02%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Mapleton going up?
Yes: up 3.9% in the past year and 31.0% in five years, against 14.1% across Minnesota (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Mapleton 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, September 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.