Photo: TnrSmith · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Grafton costs less to live in than 63% of U.S. towns
It ranks #445 of 993 in Ohio for affordability. Up 5.6% in a year, 28% above the Ohio typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Cleveland, OH metro area ($71K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in May 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 Cleveland metro earn ($71K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.1 years of metro income, and 37% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $314Ktypical home, 28% above the Ohio typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,260a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 94prices across the Cleveland metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 79)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Cleveland-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Grafton
What’s behind Grafton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Grafton is more affordable than 63% of U.S. towns, #445 of 993 in Ohio. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Ohio: up 34.5% in five years, against 29.8% statewide (Zillow).
Up 5.6% in a year
Faster than Ohio (3.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Grafton | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $166,000 | $131,000 |
| 2018 | $175,000 | $139,000 |
| 2019 | $184,000 | $148,000 |
| 2020 | $192,000 | $156,000 |
| 2021 | $216,000 | $175,000 |
| 2022 | $236,000 | $193,000 |
| 2023 | $258,000 | $208,000 |
| 2024 | $269,000 | $221,000 |
| 2025 | $287,000 | $234,000 |
| 2026 | $307,000 | $242,000 |
| September 2026 | $314,000 | $246,000 |
A typical Grafton home worth $165K in October 2016 is worth about $314K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 3.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Grafton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $47K short of a typical Grafton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,260 a month here, $690 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Grafton’s typical property tax (1.16% 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 $1,260
Renters already here pay a median of $1,089, 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 (Cleveland, OH 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.
12 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 12 new homes in Grafton in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $3.2 million to build. That's 2.1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Ohio (3.3). Over the past 10 years, Grafton has permitted 108 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Grafton's population fell by 741 even though 84 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Ohio: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2025 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $220,000 |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2021 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| 2020 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2019 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $6.8 million |
| 2018 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2016 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2015 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $725,000 |
| 2014 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $660,000 |
| 2013 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2012 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $958,000 |
| 2011 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $518,000 |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $585,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $266,000 |
| 2008 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2007 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2006 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $4.8 million |
| 2005 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2004 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2003 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2002 | 29 | 20 | 9 | $4.1 million |
| 2001 | 20 | 17 | 3 | $3.1 million |
| 2000 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3 million |
Grafton's permit office reported 8 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.
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 Ohio norm
The median bill is $2,509 (Ohio: $2,822), 1.16% of a home’s value a year, against 1.31% 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 Grafton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Cleveland, OH metro area, or Ohio. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 94 | OH 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | OH 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 96 | OH 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | OH 99 | 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.
Grafton vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Grafton has the lowest. Grafton Township and Carlisle Township and Eaton Township have no Zillow value, so they are 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | B | $314K | $216K | 1.16% | $1,260 |
| Grafton Township | C | — | $307K | 1.31% | $1,320 |
| Eaton Township | C | — | $225K | 1.43% | $1,430 |
| Carlisle Township | B | — | $228K | 1.35% | $1,230 |
“—” 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 Grafton
Is Grafton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Grafton costs less than 63% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #445 of 993 in Ohio. The typical home costs 3.1 years of the median household income of the Cleveland, OH metro area ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Grafton?
About $314K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 5.6% in a year. The Ohio typical home is $246K.
What salary do you need to live in Grafton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $84,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,950 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 Grafton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,260 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,089 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Grafton?
The median bill is $2,509 a year, 1.16% of the median home value (Ohio: $2,822, 1.31%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Grafton going up?
Yes: up 5.6% in the past year and 34.5% in five years, against 29.8% across Ohio (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Grafton 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, May 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.