Photo: Kbh3rd · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Trenton costs less to live in than 86% of U.S. towns
It ranks #48 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Up 5.2% in a year, 57% below the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Grundy County, MO ($52K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Grundy County earn ($52K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.9 years of area income, and 39% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $113Ktypical home, 57% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $900a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$52K, Grundy County income
- 16%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
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Trenton’s housing numbers say
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Trenton home runs about $700 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $900. Can I afford it? ↓
Very little new building
Trenton permitted 34 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.6 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Missouri, the pace in 2025 was 3.7. In 2025, Trenton permitted 3. New homes ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Trenton lost 392 residents while 40 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Trenton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Trenton is more affordable than 86% of U.S. towns, #48 of 247 in Missouri. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have lagged Missouri: the typical Trenton home is up 20.9% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 20.9% in five years
Slower than Missouri (26.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Trenton | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $71,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $67,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $70,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $72,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $82,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $93,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $83,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $97,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $105,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $108,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $113,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Trenton home worth $70K in October 2016 is worth about $113K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Trenton’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Trenton home, with $84K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $900 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, Trenton’s typical property tax (1.09% 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 $900
Renters already here pay a median of $703, 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 (Daviess County, MO): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in Trenton in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1 million to build. That's 0.5 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Missouri (3.7). Over the past 10 years, Trenton has permitted 34 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Trenton's population fell by 392 even though 40 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 | $683,000 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $189,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $379,000 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $474,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $379,000 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $379,000 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $379,000 |
| 2017 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $379,000 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $379,000 |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $379,000 |
| 2014 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $379,000 |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $284,000 |
| 2012 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $695,000 |
| 2011 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $315,000 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $160,000 |
| 2009 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $290,000 |
| 2008 | 5 | 1 | 4 | $400,000 |
| 2007 | 19 | 8 | 11 | $1.8 million |
| 2006 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2005 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2004 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2003 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2002 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2001 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2000 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $1.6 million |
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 $1,083, under the Missouri median of $1,948, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.09% 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+”.
Trenton vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Trenton has the lowest. Trenton Township has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton | A | $113K | $100K | 1.09% | $900 |
| Trenton Township | – | — | $103K | 1.07% | $900 |
| Lincoln Township | – | — | $201K | 0.72% | $900 |
“—” 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 Trenton
Is Trenton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Trenton costs less than 86% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #48 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of Grundy County, MO ($52K).
How much does a house cost in Trenton?
About $113K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 5.2% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Trenton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $30,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $700 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 Trenton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $900 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $703 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Trenton?
The median bill is $1,083 a year, 1.09% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Trenton going up?
Yes: up 5.2% in the past year and 20.9% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Trenton 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. 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.