Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Champlain costs less to live in than 50% of U.S. towns
It ranks #239 of 757 in New York for affordability. Up 6.9% in a year, 61% below the New York typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Plattsburgh, NY micro area ($71K). 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 the Plattsburgh-area micro earn ($71K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.4 years of area income, and 54% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $204Ktypical home, 61% below the New York typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,240a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Plattsburgh-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 54%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New York: 52%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Champlain
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $3,681, under the New York median of $6,582, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 2.12% a year, against 1.55% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $360 a month. Property taxes ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Champlain’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $200K falls short here but covers the typical home in Mooers ($192K). Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Champlain’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Champlain is more affordable than 50% of U.S. towns, #239 of 757 in New York. Property tax pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Up 6.9% in a year
About the same pace as New York (5.6%).
Show as a table
| January | Champlain | New York |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $175,000 | $455,000 |
| 2025 | $188,000 | $486,000 |
| 2026 | $197,000 | $506,000 |
| September 2026 | $204,000 | $525,000 |
A typical Champlain home worth $175K in January 2024 is worth about $204K 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 Champlain’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Champlain home, with $32K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,240 a month here, $190 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Champlain’s typical property tax (2.12% 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 $1,240
Renters already here pay a median of $890, 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 (Clinton County, NY): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
10 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 10 new homes in Champlain in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.5 million to build. That's 1.8 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of New York as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Champlain has permitted 55 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Champlain's population fell by 9 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 New York: 2.2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2025 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2024 | 7 | 5 | 2 | $1.2 million |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $789,000 |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $592,000 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $860,000 |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 3 | $150,000 |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $700,000 |
| 2015 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $800,000 |
| 2014 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $916,000 |
| 2013 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $520,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $404,000 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $130,000 |
| 2008 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2007 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2006 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2005 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2004 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2003 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2002 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $892,000 |
| 2001 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $874,000 |
| 2000 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $532,000 |
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 $3,681, under the New York median of $6,582, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 2.12% a year, against 1.55% 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 Champlain
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: New York, or New York. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity cents per kWh, homes | 29.9¢ | U.S. 18.3¢ | state | EIA, July 2026 |
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.
Champlain vs. its neighbors
Of the 6 towns here with a Zillow value, Champlain has the 2nd-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champlain | B− | $204K | $173K | 2.12% | $1,240 |
| Alburgh | C+ | $317K | $268K | 1.40% | $1,750 |
| Mooers | A− | $192K | $176K | 1.59% | $1,160 |
| Chazy | B | $255K | $187K | 1.80% | $1,220 |
| Isle La Motte | – | $402K | $269K | 1.11% | $1,930 |
| Rouses Point | B− | $220K | $197K | 2.20% | $1,080 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Champlain
Is Champlain expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Champlain costs less than 50% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #239 of 757 in New York. The typical home costs 2.4 years of the median household income of the Plattsburgh, NY micro area ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Champlain?
About $204K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 6.9% in a year. The New York typical home is $525K.
What salary do you need to live in Champlain?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $61,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,430 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 Champlain?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,240 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $890 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Champlain?
The median bill is $3,681 a year, 2.12% of the median home value (New York: $6,582, 1.55%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Champlain 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.