Measured against area pay, Syracuse costs less to live in than 91% of U.S. towns
Up 4.2% in a year, close to the Nebraska typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Otoe County, NE ($82K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Otoe County earn ($82K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.5 years of area income, and 29% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $270Ktypical home, 3% below the Nebraska typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $960a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$82K, Otoe County income
- 8%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What’s behind Syracuse’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Syracuse is more affordable than 91% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Nebraska: the typical Syracuse home is up 40.0% in five years, against 26.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 40% in five years
Faster than Nebraska (26.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Syracuse | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $139,000 | $155,000 |
| 2018 | $145,000 | $165,000 |
| 2019 | $152,000 | $174,000 |
| 2020 | $162,000 | $185,000 |
| 2021 | $176,000 | $203,000 |
| 2022 | $202,000 | $225,000 |
| 2023 | $222,000 | $245,000 |
| 2024 | $233,000 | $257,000 |
| 2025 | $250,000 | $267,000 |
| 2026 | $265,000 | $275,000 |
| September 2026 | $270,000 | $278,000 |
A typical Syracuse home worth $136K in October 2016 is worth about $270K 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 8% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Syracuse’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Syracuse home, with $37K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $960 a month here, $720 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Syracuse’s typical property tax (1.18% 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 $960
Renters already here pay a median of $573, 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 (Otoe County, NE): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
4 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 4 new homes in Syracuse in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.9 million to build. That's 2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Nebraska (5.7). Over the past 10 years, Syracuse has permitted 42 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Syracuse's population fell by 1 even though 46 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Nebraska: 1.8 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 7 | 7 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2025 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2024 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2021 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $218,000 |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $1 million |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2017 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $975,000 |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $643,000 |
| 2014 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2013 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2011 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $724,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $260,000 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $195,000 |
| 2006 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2005 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $895,000 |
| 2004 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2003 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2002 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $710,000 |
| 2001 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2000 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $1.8 million |
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 Nebraska norm
The median bill is $2,423 (Nebraska: $3,549), 1.18% of a home’s value a year, against 1.49% 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+”.
Syracuse 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | A | $270K | $206K | 1.18% | $960 |
Questions about the cost of living in Syracuse
Is Syracuse expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Syracuse costs less than 91% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.5 years of the median household income of Otoe County, NE ($82K).
How much does a house cost in Syracuse?
About $270K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.2% in a year. The Nebraska typical home is $278K.
What salary do you need to live in Syracuse?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $72,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,680 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $38,000.
How much is rent in Syracuse?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $960 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $573 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Syracuse?
The median bill is $2,423 a year, 1.18% of the median home value (Nebraska: $3,549, 1.49%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Syracuse going up?
Yes: up 4.2% in the past year and 40.0% in five years, against 26.1% across Nebraska (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Syracuse 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.