Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Charleston costs less to live in than 78% of U.S. towns
It ranks #86 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Up 1.8% in a year, 68% 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
In dollars, Charleston is one of the least expensive places in Missouri. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Sikeston-area incomes are lower too ($59K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 0.75% of a home’s value a year (Missouri: 0.85%), and 57% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $85Ktypical home, 68% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $890a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$59K, Sikeston-area income
- 16%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 Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 7%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Charleston, in brief
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Charleston home runs about $500 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $890. Can I afford it? ↓
Prices are 12% below their 2023 peak
The typical Charleston home peaked at $96K in June 2023 and is worth about $85K now. Across Missouri, values are at or near their high. Over five years, Charleston is still up 5.9%. Price trend ↓
About half of renters are stretched
57% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 46% across Missouri. A standard two-bedroom would take 31% of the median household income. Renting ↓
About half of Charleston rents
50% of households rent their home, 587 in all, against 32% across Missouri. Renting ↓
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 Charleston’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Charleston is more affordable than 78% of U.S. towns, #86 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 Charleston home is up 5.9% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 5.9% in five years
Slower than Missouri (26.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Charleston | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $56,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $61,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $60,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $70,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $83,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $89,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $84,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $84,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $85,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $85,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Charleston home worth $55K in September 2017 is worth about $85K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Charleston’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Charleston home, with $150K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $890 a month here, $390 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Charleston’s typical property tax (0.75% 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 $890
Renters already here pay a median of $774, 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 (Mississippi County, MO): 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 Charleston in 2025. That's 0.2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Missouri (3.7). Over the past 10 years, Charleston has permitted 5 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Charleston's population fell by 891 even though 5 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Missouri: 1.1 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $240,000 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $240,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $140,000 |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $137,000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $140,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $181,000 |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $190,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $445,000 |
| 2006 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $955,000 |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $320,000 |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $25,000 |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $517,000 |
| 2000 | 11 | 3 | 8 | $510,000 |
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 $925 (Missouri: $1,948), 0.75% 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+”.
Charleston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | A− | $85K | $124K | 0.75% | $890 |
Questions about the cost of living in Charleston
Is Charleston expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Charleston costs less than 78% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #86 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 2.1 years of the median household income of the Sikeston, MO micro area ($59K).
How much does a house cost in Charleston?
About $85K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.8% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Charleston?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $21,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $500 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $36,000.
How much is rent in Charleston?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $890 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $774 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Charleston?
The median bill is $925 a year, 0.75% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Charleston going up?
Yes: up 1.8% in the past year and 5.9% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Charleston 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.