Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Eldon costs less to live in than 66% of U.S. towns
It ranks #126 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Up 1.1% in a year, 27% below the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Miller County, MO ($57K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Miller County earn ($57K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.8 years of area income, and 39% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $193Ktypical home, 27% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $910a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$57K, Miller County income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 39%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 27%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Eldon, in brief
Building at 3 times the Missouri pace
Builders were permitted 51 new homes in 2025: 11 per 1,000 residents, against 3.7 across Missouri. That’s 221 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
A low property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.49% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 0.85% across Missouri. The median bill is $769 (Missouri: $1,948). Property taxes ↓
A burst of building in 2023
Eldon permitted 68 new homes in 2023, 81% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 17 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 51. New homes ↓
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 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Eldon’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Eldon is more affordable than 66% of U.S. towns, #126 of 247 in Missouri. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Missouri: the typical Eldon home is up 34.8% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 34.8% in five years
Faster than Missouri (26.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Eldon | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $80,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $85,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $93,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $109,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $124,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $147,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $157,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $170,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $183,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $194,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $193,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Eldon home worth $78K in October 2016 is worth about $193K 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 8 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 2.8 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Eldon’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Eldon home, with $43K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $910 a month here, $180 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Eldon’s typical property tax (0.49% 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 $910
Renters already here pay a median of $822, 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 (Moniteau County, MO 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.
51 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 51 new homes in Eldon in 2025: 16 single-family houses and 35 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $5.4 million to build. That's 11 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Missouri (3.7). Over the past 10 years, Eldon has permitted 221 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Eldon's population fell by 151 even though 37 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) | 37 | 11 | 26 | $3.8 million |
| 2025 | 51 | 16 | 35 | $5.4 million |
| 2024 | 52 | 16 | 36 | $5.6 million |
| 2023 | 68 | 13 | 55 | $6.3 million |
| 2022 | 17 | 6 | 11 | $2.8 million |
| 2021 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2020 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2019 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $993,000 |
| 2018 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $223,000 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $223,000 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $223,000 |
| 2015 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $223,000 |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $267,000 |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $267,000 |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $495,000 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $420,000 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $420,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $160,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $230,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $836,000 |
| 2006 | 7 | 5 | 2 | $998,000 |
| 2005 | 9 | 5 | 4 | $1.2 million |
| 2004 | 11 | 5 | 6 | $1.4 million |
| 2003 | 9 | 7 | 2 | $945,000 |
| 2002 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $598,000 |
| 2001 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $398,000 |
Eldon's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
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 $769 (Missouri: $1,948), 0.49% 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+”.
Eldon vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Eldon has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eldon | B+ | $193K | $157K | 0.49% | $910 |
| Aurora Springs | – | — | $146K | 0.59% | $910 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Eldon
Is Eldon expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Eldon costs less than 66% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #126 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 2.8 years of the median household income of Miller County, MO ($57K).
How much does a house cost in Eldon?
About $193K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.1% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Eldon?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $47,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,090 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 Eldon?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $910 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $822 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Eldon?
The median bill is $769 a year, 0.49% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Eldon going up?
Yes: up 1.1% in the past year and 34.8% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Eldon 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.