Photo: Umrok · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Kingston costs more to live in than 64% of U.S. towns
It ranks #641 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania for affordability. Up 3.3% in a year, 18% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area ($65K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Scranton metro earn ($65K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 2.7 years of metro income, and 37% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $235Ktypical home, 18% below the Pennsylvania typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,260a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 94prices across the Scranton metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 67)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$65K, Scranton-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 37%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Pennsylvania: 48%Census 2020–24
- 29%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Kingston, in brief
Very little new building
Kingston permitted 3 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Pennsylvania, the pace in 2025 was 2. In 2025, Kingston permitted 3. New homes ↓
Values rose faster than Pennsylvania’s over five years
The typical Kingston home is up 40% in five years, against 23% across Pennsylvania. Since October 2016 it has about doubled, from $125K to $235K. Price trend ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Kingston’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $197K falls short here but covers the typical home in Plains Township ($164K), Edwardsville ($171K) and Wilkes-Barre ($186K). Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Kingston’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Kingston is more affordable than 36% of U.S. towns, #641 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have outpaced Pennsylvania: the typical Kingston home is up 40.1% in five years, against 22.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 40.1% in five years
Faster than Pennsylvania (22.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Kingston | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $126,000 | $171,000 |
| 2018 | $130,000 | $178,000 |
| 2019 | $132,000 | $185,000 |
| 2020 | $139,000 | $196,000 |
| 2021 | $150,000 | $216,000 |
| 2022 | $177,000 | $236,000 |
| 2023 | $191,000 | $253,000 |
| 2024 | $203,000 | $265,000 |
| 2025 | $218,000 | $276,000 |
| 2026 | $226,000 | $283,000 |
| September 2026 | $235,000 | $287,000 |
A typical Kingston home worth $125K in October 2016 is worth about $235K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 10 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 2.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Kingston’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $2K short of a typical Kingston home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,260 a month here, $270 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Kingston’s typical property tax (1.52% 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 $1,038, 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 (Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in Kingston in 2025: 1 single-family house and 2 in buildings with two or more homes. That's 0.2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Pennsylvania (2). Over the past 10 years, Kingston has permitted 3 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Kingston gained 167 residents while 5 new homes were permitted: about 33 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Pennsylvania: 1.4 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 0 | 2 | $254,000 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $565,000 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $209,000 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $440,000 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $250,000 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2004 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $186,000 |
| 2003 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 | 4 | $250,000 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $250,000 |
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 $2,628, under the Pennsylvania median of $3,311, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.52% a year, against 1.30% 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 Kingston
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area, or Pennsylvania. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 94 | PA 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 101 | PA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 107 | PA 109 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 98 | PA 100 | 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.
Kingston vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, Kingston has the 4th-lowest. Plains Township has no Zillow value, so it is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | C+ | $235K | $173K | 1.52% | $1,260 |
| Wilkes-Barre | B− | $186K | $117K | 1.78% | $1,220 |
| Edwardsville | B− | $171K | $123K | 1.49% | $1,260 |
| Pringle | – | $203K | $127K | 1.51% | $1,230 |
| Forty Fort | B | $238K | $173K | 1.45% | $1,260 |
| Plains Township | B− | — | $164K | 1.40% | $1,230 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” 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 Kingston
Is Kingston expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Kingston costs more than 64% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #641 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The typical home costs 2.7 years of the median household income of the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area ($65K).
How much does a house cost in Kingston?
About $235K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.3% in a year. The Pennsylvania typical home is $287K.
What salary do you need to live in Kingston?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $66,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,530 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 Kingston?
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 $1,038 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Kingston?
The median bill is $2,628 a year, 1.52% of the median home value (Pennsylvania: $3,311, 1.30%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Kingston going up?
Yes: up 3.3% in the past year and 40.1% in five years, against 22.9% across Pennsylvania (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Kingston 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.