Coral Court Motel · Photo: Lori · CC BY-SA 2.0Measured against area pay, Marlborough costs less to live in than 52% of U.S. towns
Up 3% in a year, 10% below 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
In dollars, homes in Marlborough cost less than the Missouri typical home. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and St. Louis-area incomes are lower too ($80K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.41% of a home’s value a year (Missouri: 0.85%), and 40% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $239Ktypical home, 10% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,250a 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
- 2.4 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
- 40%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Marlborough
Most Marlborough households rent
87% of households rent their home, 1,167 in all, against 32% across Missouri. Renting ↓
A high property tax rate
Owners pay about 1.41% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 0.85% across Missouri. The median bill is $2,708 (Missouri: $1,948). On the typical home, that’s about $280 a month. Property taxes ↓
A median income doesn’t stretch to the towns next door
At Marlborough’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $182K covers neither the typical home here ($239K) nor in any of the three neighboring towns. The least expensive is Affton at $243K. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Marlborough’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Marlborough is more affordable than 52% of U.S. towns. 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 26.7% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 3% in a year
About the same pace as Missouri (3.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Marlborough | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $145,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $152,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $155,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $164,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $179,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $188,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $207,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $222,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $230,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $233,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $239,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Marlborough home worth $144K in October 2016 is worth about $239K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Marlborough’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Marlborough home, with $52K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,250 a month here, $280 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Marlborough’s typical property tax (1.41% 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 $1,250
Renters already here pay a median of $990, 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.
Property tax runs above the Missouri norm
The median bill is $2,708 (Missouri: $1,948), 1.41% 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 Marlborough
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.
Marlborough vs. its neighbors
Of the 4 towns here with a Zillow value, Marlborough 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlborough | B− | $239K | $192K | 1.41% | $1,250 |
| Affton | A− | $243K | $212K | 1.26% | $1,230 |
| Shrewsbury | C+ | $285K | $270K | 1.26% | $1,280 |
| Webster Groves | D | $442K | $388K | 1.30% | $1,280 |
Questions about the cost of living in Marlborough
Is Marlborough expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Marlborough costs less than 52% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.4 years of the median household income of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area ($80K).
How much does a house cost in Marlborough?
About $239K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.0% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Marlborough?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $66,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,530 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $50,000.
How much is rent in Marlborough?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,250 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $990 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Marlborough?
The median bill is $2,708 a year, 1.41% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Marlborough going up?
Yes: up 3.0% in the past year and 26.7% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Marlborough 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. 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.