Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Upper Township costs less to live in than 74% of U.S. towns
It ranks #270 of 993 in Ohio for affordability. Home prices around Upper Township have risen about 41% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metro area ($60K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, homes in Upper Township cost less than the Ohio typical home. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Huntington-area incomes are lower too ($60K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 0.97% of a home’s value a year (Ohio: 1.31%), and 54% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $970a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Huntington metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 51)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$60K, Huntington-area income
- 16%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 Ohio: 46%Census 2020–24
- 22%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Upper Township
What’s behind Upper Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Upper Township is more affordable than 74% of U.S. towns, #270 of 993 in Ohio. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Home prices up 41% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Upper Township rose 41% over the past 5 years, slower than across Ohio (53%). Last year prices rose 4.7%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Upper Township home at roughly $131,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $131K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Upper Township, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Upper Township’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Upper Township home, with $100K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month here, $180 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Upper Township’s typical property tax (0.97% 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 $970
Renters already here pay a median of $805, 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 (Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-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.
Property tax runs below the Ohio norm
The median bill is $1,098 (Ohio: $2,822), 0.97% 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 Upper Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-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 | 88 | OH 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | OH 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 88 | 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.
Upper Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Upper Township. Perry Township and Hamilton Township and Elizabeth Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Township | B+ | — | $113K | 0.97% | $970 |
| Ironton | A− | $126K | $107K | 1.03% | $970 |
| Hamilton Township | A | — | $113K | 0.96% | $970 |
| Perry Township | A− | — | $145K | 0.89% | $970 |
| Coal Grove | A− | $92K | $95K | 1.13% | $970 |
| Elizabeth Township | A | — | $79K | 1.09% | $1,000 |
| Russell | B+ | $223K | $212K | 1.10% | $980 |
| Westwood | A | $125K | $92K | 0.96% | $990 |
“—” 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 Upper Township
Is Upper Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Upper Township costs less than 74% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #270 of 993 in Ohio. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metro area ($60K).
How much is rent in Upper Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $805 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Upper Township?
The median bill is $1,098 a year, 0.97% of the median home value (Ohio: $2,822, 1.31%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Upper Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
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.