Measured against area pay, Chaffee costs less to live in than 94% of U.S. towns
It ranks #12 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Down 5.5% in a year, 45% below the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Sikeston, MO micro area ($59K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Sikeston-area micro earn ($59K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.0 years of area income, and 50% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $147Ktypical home, 45% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $980a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$59K, Sikeston-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 50%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Chaffee, in brief
Most homes are under contract within two weeks
In September, 20% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 66% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 1.3 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 3.4 across Missouri: 9 listings for 7 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
Slipping while Missouri rises
Over the past year the typical Chaffee home lost 5.5%, while the Missouri typical home gained 3.4%. Price trend ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Chaffee home runs about $850 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $980. Can I afford it? ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $980 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Chaffee pay a median of $632. 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 September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Chaffee’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Chaffee is more affordable than 94% of U.S. towns, #12 of 247 in Missouri. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged Missouri: the typical Chaffee home is up 14.7% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 14.7% in five years
Slower than Missouri (26.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Chaffee | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $106,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $109,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $112,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $111,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $122,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $133,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $143,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $139,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $150,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $154,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $147,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Chaffee home worth $107K in November 2016 is worth about $147K 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 7 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 2.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Chaffee’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Chaffee home, with $93K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $980 a month here, $130 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Chaffee’s typical property tax (0.60% 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 $980
Renters already here pay a median of $632, 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 (Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
6 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 6 new homes in Chaffee in 2025, all single-family houses. That's 2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Missouri (3.7). Over the past 10 years, Chaffee has permitted 48 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Chaffee gained 102 residents while 61 new homes were permitted: about 1.7 new residents per new home, more than across Missouri (1.1): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 5 | 5 | 0 | $824,000 |
| 2025 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $986,000 |
| 2024 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $42,000 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $335,000 |
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | 4 | $370,000 |
| 2019 | 9 | 6 | 3 | $871,000 |
| 2018 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $455,000 |
| 2017 | 8 | 5 | 3 | $695,000 |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $235,000 |
| 2015 | 17 | 5 | 12 | $908,000 |
| 2014 | 8 | 2 | 6 | $886,000 |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $560,000 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $105,000 |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $186,000 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $395,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $353,000 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $185,000 |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $75,000 |
| 2004 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $401,000 |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $210,000 |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $357,000 |
| 2000 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $425,000 |
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 Missouri norm
The median bill is $707 (Missouri: $1,948), 0.60% of a home’s value a year, against 0.85% 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+”.
Chaffee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaffee | A | $147K | $117K | 0.60% | $980 |
Questions about the cost of living in Chaffee
Is Chaffee expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Chaffee costs less than 94% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #12 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 2.0 years of the median household income of the Sikeston, MO micro area ($59K).
How much does a house cost in Chaffee?
About $147K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 5.5% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Chaffee?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $36,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $850 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $39,000.
How much is rent in Chaffee?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $980 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $632 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Chaffee?
The median bill is $707 a year, 0.60% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Chaffee going up?
No: down 5.5% in the past year and 14.7% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Chaffee 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.