Even on the area’s higher pay, Jefferson Township costs more to live in than 57% of U.S. towns
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD metro area ($75K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Jefferson Township’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($75K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still.
In dollars
- $1,120a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 86prices across the Sioux City metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 58)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$75K, Sioux City-area income
- 8%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Jefferson Township
What’s behind Jefferson Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Jefferson Township is more affordable than 43% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
A typical home costs 5.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Jefferson Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $107K short of a typical Jefferson Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,120 a month here, $1,270 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Jefferson Township’s typical property tax (0.88% 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 $1,120
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Sioux City, IA-NE-SD MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $3,522 (South Dakota: $2,724), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.88% a year, against 1.06% 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 Jefferson Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD metro area, or South Dakota. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 86 | SD 89 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | SD 95 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 83 | SD 80 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 93 | SD 92 | 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.
Jefferson Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Jefferson Township. Big Sioux Township has no Zillow value, so it is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | C+ | — | $400K | 0.88% | $1,120 |
| Big Sioux Township | C− | — | $502K | 1.11% | $1,400 |
| Civil Bend Township | – | — | $311K | 0.86% | $1,050 |
| Elk Point Township | – | — | $311K | 1.12% | $980 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Jefferson Township
Is Jefferson Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Jefferson Township costs more than 57% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 5.3 years of the median household income of the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD metro area ($75K).
How much is rent in Jefferson Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,120 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Jefferson Township?
The median bill is $3,522 a year, 0.88% of the median home value (South Dakota: $2,724, 1.06%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Jefferson 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. 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.