Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Fulton costs less to live in than 82% of U.S. towns
It ranks #70 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Up 6.7% in a year, 6% below the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Jefferson City, MO metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, homes in Fulton cost less than the Missouri typical home. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Jefferson City-area incomes are lower too ($74K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 0.91% of a home’s value a year (Missouri: 0.85%), and 43% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $250Ktypical home, 6% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,020a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Jefferson City metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 62)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Jefferson City-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 43%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Fulton
About half of Fulton rents
52% of households rent their home, 2,042 in all, against 32% across Missouri. Renting ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Fulton lost 190 residents while 130 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
New building is almost all single-family houses
Of the 151 homes permitted in Fulton’s past 10 years, every one was a single-family house. 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 Fulton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fulton is more affordable than 82% of U.S. towns, #70 of 247 in Missouri. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Missouri: up 24.4% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 6.7% in a year
Faster than Missouri (3.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Fulton | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $138,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $146,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $164,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $173,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $192,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $202,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $212,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $217,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $229,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $241,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $250,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Fulton home worth $135K in October 2016 is worth about $250K 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 12 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 2.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Fulton’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Fulton home, with $38K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,020 a month here, $480 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Fulton’s typical property tax (0.91% 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 $1,020
Renters already here pay a median of $836, 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 (Callaway 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.
17 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 17 new homes in Fulton in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.6 million to build. That's 1.3 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Missouri (3.7). Over the past 10 years, Fulton has permitted 151 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Fulton's population fell by 190 even though 130 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) | 11 | 9 | 2 | $1.7 million |
| 2025 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2024 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2023 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2022 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2021 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2020 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2019 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2018 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2017 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 26 | 8 | 18 | $2 million |
| 2014 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $992,000 |
| 2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2012 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2011 | 11 | 7 | 4 | $980,000 |
| 2010 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2009 | 66 | 14 | 52 | $5.9 million |
| 2008 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2007 | 26 | 22 | 4 | $3.2 million |
| 2006 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $10.2 million |
| 2005 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $10.2 million |
| 2004 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $8.1 million |
| 2003 | 44 | 44 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2002 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2001 | 48 | 20 | 28 | $4.8 million |
| 2000 | 98 | 30 | 68 | $10.3 million |
Fulton'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.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,416, under the Missouri median of $1,948, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.91% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Fulton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Jefferson City, MO metro area, or Missouri. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 88 | MO 91 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | MO 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 85 | MO 79 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 93 | MO 95 | 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.
Fulton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton | A− | $250K | $156K | 0.91% | $1,020 |
Questions about the cost of living in Fulton
Is Fulton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fulton costs less than 82% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #70 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 2.1 years of the median household income of the Jefferson City, MO metro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Fulton?
About $250K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 6.7% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Fulton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $64,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,500 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $41,000.
How much is rent in Fulton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,020 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $836 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Fulton?
The median bill is $1,416 a year, 0.91% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Fulton going up?
Yes: up 6.7% in the past year and 24.4% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Fulton 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.