Photo: Kbh3rd · CC BY 3.0Measured against area pay, Hillsboro costs less to live in than 72% of U.S. towns
It ranks #103 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Up 4.8% in a year, 21% above the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area ($80K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the St. Louis metro earn ($80K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.8 years of metro income, and 56% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $322Ktypical home, 21% above the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,090a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 95prices across the St. Louis metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 79)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$80K, St. Louis-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 56%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Hillsboro
What’s behind Hillsboro’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Hillsboro is more affordable than 72% of U.S. towns, #103 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 24.2% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 4.7% in a year
Faster than Missouri (3.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Hillsboro | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $193,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $200,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $205,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $213,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $236,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $267,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $278,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $291,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $306,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $313,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $322,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Hillsboro home worth $190K in October 2016 is worth about $322K 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 6 homes sold in May 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 Hillsboro’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $8K short of a typical Hillsboro home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,090 a month here, $820 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Hillsboro’s typical property tax (0.84% 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 $1,090
Renters already here pay a median of $973, 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 (St. Louis, MO-IL 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.
6 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 6 new homes in Hillsboro in 2025: 4 single-family houses and 2 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $1.8 million to build. That's 1.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Missouri (3.7). Over the past 10 years, Hillsboro has permitted 130 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Hillsboro gained 652 residents while 219 new homes were permitted: about 3 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) | 21 | 19 | 2 | $5.9 million |
| 2025 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $1.8 million |
| 2024 | 5 | 3 | 2 | $1.2 million |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $418,000 |
| 2021 | 5 | 2 | 3 | $661,000 |
| 2020 | 7 | 3 | 4 | $951,000 |
| 2019 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2018 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2017 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2016 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2015 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2014 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2013 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2012 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2011 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2010 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2009 | 41 | 33 | 8 | $3.4 million |
| 2008 | 48 | 32 | 16 | $4.1 million |
| 2007 | 40 | 40 | 0 | $3.4 million |
| 2006 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2005 | 62 | 60 | 2 | $5.9 million |
| 2004 | 44 | 44 | 0 | $3.8 million |
| 2003 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $455,000 |
| 2002 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $458,000 |
| 2001 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $275,000 |
| 2000 | 8 | 4 | 4 | $494,000 |
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 $1,852 (Missouri: $1,948), 0.84% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Hillsboro
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the St. Louis, MO-IL 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 | 95 | MO 91 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 100 | MO 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 70 | MO 79 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | 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.
Hillsboro 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro | B+ | $322K | $221K | 0.84% | $1,090 |
Questions about the cost of living in Hillsboro
Is Hillsboro expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Hillsboro costs less than 72% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #103 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 2.8 years of the median household income of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area ($80K).
How much does a house cost in Hillsboro?
About $322K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.8% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Hillsboro?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $82,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,910 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $44,000.
How much is rent in Hillsboro?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,090 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $973 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Hillsboro?
The median bill is $1,852 a year, 0.84% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Hillsboro going up?
Yes: up 4.8% in the past year and 24.2% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Hillsboro 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, May 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.