Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki (thomasmachnitzki.com) · CC BY 3.0Measured against area pay, Steele costs more to live in than 54% of U.S. towns
Down 8.2% in a year, 56% below the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Pemiscot County, MO ($40K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across Pemiscot County earn ($40K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.0 years of area income, and 45% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $116Ktypical home, 56% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $890a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$40K, Pemiscot County income
- 21%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 45%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 10%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Steele’s housing numbers say
Prices are 9% below their 2023 peak
The typical Steele home peaked at $126K in June 2023 and is worth about $116K now. Across Missouri, values are at or near their high. Over five years, Steele is still up 6.3%. Price trend ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Steele home runs about $690 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $890. Can I afford it? ↓
About half of Steele rents
51% of households rent their home, 281 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 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Steele’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Steele is more affordable than 46% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged Missouri: the typical Steele home is up 6.3% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 6.3% in five years
Slower than Missouri (26.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Steele | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $101,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $107,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $112,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $120,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $116,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $123,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $120,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $116,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Steele home worth $100K in February 2019 is worth about $116K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 21% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Steele’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Steele home, with $40K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $890 a month here, $200 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Steele’s typical property tax (0.90% 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 $707, 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 (Dunklin 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 Steele in 2025. That's 0.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Missouri (3.7). Over the past 10 years, Steele has permitted 4 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Steele's population fell by 319 even though 17 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 | $641,000 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $321,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $321,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $259,000 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | 4 | $150,000 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $875,000 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $100,000 |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $610,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $732,000 |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $977,000 |
| 2005 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $767,000 |
| 2004 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $151,000 |
| 2003 | 6 | 0 | 6 | $165,000 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $248,000 |
| 2000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $395,000 |
Steele'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 $1,070, under the Missouri median of $1,948, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.90% 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+”.
Steele 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steele | B− | $116K | $119K | 0.90% | $890 |
Questions about the cost of living in Steele
Is Steele expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Steele costs more than 54% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.0 years of the median household income of Pemiscot County, MO ($40K).
How much does a house cost in Steele?
About $116K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 8.2% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Steele?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $30,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $690 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 Steele?
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 $707 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Steele?
The median bill is $1,070 a year, 0.90% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Steele going up?
No: down 8.2% in the past year and 6.3% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Steele 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.