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Shawhan Road overlookPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
CCost of living
Cost of living in Union Township

Even on the area’s higher pay, Union Township costs more to live in than 74% of U.S. towns

It ranks #849 of 993 in Ohio for affordability. Home prices around Union Township have risen about 59% over the past 5 years.

Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area ($81K). How TownRatings grades cost of living

Typical home value
$464K
▲ 4.1% in a year · OH $260K
Estimate
2-bedroom rent
$1,460
a month, utilities in · HUD
Median tax bill
$4,584
OH $2,822
Area income (the grade’s yardstick)
$81K
Cincinnati-area median
Why Union Township gets a C although people here earn more than most

The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Union Township’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($81K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 20% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 28% of renters.

In dollars

  • $1,460a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
  • 95prices across the Cincinnati metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 88)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

In paychecks the grade

  • 4.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$81K, Cincinnati-area income
  • 20%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
  • 28%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Ohio: 46%Census 2020–24
  • 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out

What stands out about housing in Union Township

Cost of living grade

What’s behind Union Township’s grade

Measured against what households in the area earn, Union Township is more affordable than 26% of U.S. towns, #849 of 993 in Ohio. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.

All U.S. towns we grade (21,243)More affordable than 26%
CostlierMore affordable
Ohio towns we grade (993)More affordable than 15%
How sure. Union Township’s Census figures cover about 2,303 households. At the ends of the Census margins (area income ±$823, owners paying 30%+ ±9.0 points), Union Township could be anywhere from C− to C.

How TownRatings grades cost of living →

Price trend

Home prices up 59% in 5 years

The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Union Township rose 59% over the past 5 years, faster than across Ohio (53%). Last year prices rose 4.1%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Union Township home at roughly $464,000 today.

Union Township areaOhio
−50%0%+50%+100%+150%200020052010201520202025
+4.1%
past year
+59%
past 5 years
+106%
past 10 years
Estimated value

Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $464K.

Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Union Township, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.

Affordability

A typical home costs 4.7 years of area income

The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Union Township’s own median, or type yours.

Household income a year
$
Cincinnati-area median household income, as in the grade
You could afford about
$303,000
Typical Union Township home $464K

That’s $161K short of a typical Union Township home.

The typical home, each month
$2,890
Loan $2,300Tax $460Insurance $140

A two-bedroom rents for about $1,460 a month here, $1,430 less than owning.

An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Union Township’s typical property tax (1.20% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.

Renting

A two-bedroom rents for about $1,460

Renters already here pay a median of $1,322, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.

Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included

Studio$1,030
1 bedroom$1,140
2 bedrooms$1,460
3 bedrooms$1,930
4 bedrooms$2,140
25%
of households rent · OH 33%
552
renter households
28%
of renters spend 30%+ of income on rent · OH 46%
17%
of the median income, for a two-bedroom
$1,322
median rent paid today · Census

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 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.

Property taxes

High tax bills, but a low tax rate

The median bill is $4,584 (Ohio: $2,822), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 1.20% a year, against 1.31% statewide.

$4,584
median bill a year · OH $2,822
1.20%
of a home’s value a year · OH 1.31%

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+”.

Beyond rent and mortgage

The rest of a budget near Union Township

Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area, or Ohio. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.

CostHereCompared withAreaSource
Prices overall
U.S. = 100
95OH 93metroBEA, 2024
Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…)
U.S. = 100
94OH 94metroBEA, 2024
Utilities
U.S. = 100
91OH 96metroBEA, 2024
Other services
U.S. = 100
99OH 99metroBEA, 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.

Next door

Union Township vs. its neighbors

Zillow publishes no value for Union Township. Turtlecreek Township and Deerfield Township and Hamilton Township and Salem Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.

Cost next door · one source per column

TownCostTypical home
Zillow, latest
Median value
Census 2020–24
Tax rate
bill ÷ value
2-bed rent
HUD 2026
Union TownshipC—$382K1.20%$1,460
LebanonC+$402K$290K1.19%$1,380
MasonC−$505K$426K1.18%$1,980
Hamilton TownshipC−—$349K1.26%$1,710
South LebanonC$388K$319K1.30%$1,730
Turtlecreek TownshipD—$403K1.03%$1,380
Salem TownshipC+—$313K1.34%$1,400
Deerfield TownshipC−—$398K1.38%$1,950

“—” 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 Union Township

Is Union Township expensive to live in?

Measured against what households in the area earn, Union Township costs more than 74% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #849 of 993 in Ohio. The typical home costs 4.7 years of the median household income of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area ($81K).

How much is rent in Union Township?

HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,460 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,322 (Census 2020–24).

What are property taxes in Union Township?

The median bill is $4,584 a year, 1.20% of the median home value (Ohio: $2,822, 1.31%), from the Census 2020–24.

Neighbors talk housing

What Union Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.

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Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.