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Red Schoolhouse, OldRed Schoolhouse, Old · Photo: Steven L. Driskell (SDriskell) · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Cost of living
Cost of living in Trinity

Measured against area pay, Trinity costs more to live in than 52% of U.S. towns

Down 6.3% in a year, 46% below the Texas typical home.

Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Trinity County, TX ($52K). How TownRatings grades cost of living

Typical home value
$160K
▼ 6.3% in a year · TX $296K
Zillow
Homes sold
0
in September 2026 · 11 for sale
2-bedroom rent
$1,010
a month, utilities in · HUD
Median tax bill
$1,263
TX $4,232
Area income (the grade’s yardstick)
$52K
Trinity County median

Only 0 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.

Why Trinity gets a B−

The grade compares costs with what households across Trinity County earn ($52K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 1.8 years of area income, and 75% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.

In dollars

  • $160Ktypical home, 46% below the Texas typical homeZillow, September 2026
  • $1,010a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026

In paychecks the grade

  • 1.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$52K, Trinity County income
  • 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
  • 75%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Texas: 52%Census 2020–24
  • 32%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out · In brief

What Trinity’s housing numbers say

Prices are 14% below their 2022 peak

The typical Trinity home peaked at $187K in July 2022 and is worth about $160K now. Texas as a whole is 6% off its own peak. Over five years, Trinity is down 3.6%. Price trend ↓

Fewer people, more homes

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Trinity lost 354 residents while 33 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓

About half of Trinity rents

54% of households rent their home, 458 in all, against 37% across Texas. Renting ↓

Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.

Cost of living grade

What’s behind Trinity’s grade

Measured against what households in the area earn, Trinity is more affordable than 48% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.

All U.S. towns we grade (21,243)More affordable than 48%
CostlierMore affordable

Values have lagged Texas: the typical Trinity home is down 3.6% in five years, against 10.1% statewide (Zillow).

How sure. Trinity’s Census figures cover about 861 households. At the ends of the Census margins (area income ±$4,911, owners paying 30%+ ±16.2 points), Trinity could be anywhere from C+ to B.

How TownRatings grades cost of living →

Price trend

Down 3.6% in five years

Slower than Texas (10.1%).

TrinityTexas
$100K$150K$200K$250K$300K$350K20182020202220242026
Show as a table
JanuaryTrinityTexas
2017$116,000$188,000
2018$115,000$200,000
2019$128,000$212,000
2020$133,000$221,000
2021$148,000$240,000
2022$179,000$284,000
2023$181,000$310,000
2024$176,000$308,000
2025$181,000$308,000
2026$172,000$300,000
September 2026$160,000$296,000
Then & now

A typical Trinity home worth $113K in October 2016 is worth about $160K today.

+$47K
−6.3%
past year
−3.6%
past 5 years
+41.4%
since 2016

Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.

Affordability

A typical home costs 1.8 years of area income

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

Household income a year
$
Trinity County median household income, as in the grade
You could afford about
$191,000
Typical Trinity home $160K

That covers a typical Trinity home, with $31K to spare.

The typical home, each month
$1,020
Loan $790Tax $180Insurance $50

A two-bedroom rents for about $1,010 a month here, $10 less than owning.

An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Trinity’s typical property tax (1.34% 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 $1,010

Renters already here pay a median of $835, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.

Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included

Studio$780
1 bedroom$890
2 bedrooms$1,010
3 bedrooms$1,250
4 bedrooms$1,690
54%
of households rent · TX 37%
458
renter households
75%
of renters spend 30%+ of income on rent · TX 52%
44%
of the median income, for a two-bedroom
$835
median rent paid today · Census

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (San Jacinto County, TX 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.

New construction

No new homes permitted in 2025

No permits for new homes were issued in Trinity in 2025. The last year with any was 2022 (4 new homes).

Single-family
0246200020052010201520202025
0
new homes permitted in 2025
0
2026 so far (Jan–Aug)
19
homes in the past 10 years
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Residents−354
New homes+33

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Trinity's population fell by 354 even though 33 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Texas: 2.6 new residents per new home.

Every year as a table
YearNew homesSingle-family2+ per buildingValue
2026 (Jan–Aug)000—
2025000—
2024000—
2023000—
2022440$228,000
2021440$520,000
2020440$329,000
2019330$358,000
2018220$315,000
2017110$160,000
2016110$89,000
2015110$36,000
2014660$455,000
2013660$475,000
2012330$183,000
2011660$78,000
2010440$112,000
2009110$195,000
2008110$15,000
2007000—
2006000—
2005110$74,000
2004000—
2003000—
2002000—
2001000—
2000000—

Trinity's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.

Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Property taxes

Property tax runs below the Texas norm

The median bill is $1,263 (Texas: $4,232), 1.34% of a home’s value a year, against 1.49% statewide.

$1,263
median bill a year · TX $4,232
1.34%
of a home’s value a year · TX 1.49%
$180
a month at that rate, on the typical home (Zillow)

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+”.

Next door

Trinity and its neighbors

One source per column.

Cost next door · one source per column

TownCostTypical home
Zillow, September 2026
Median value
Census 2020–24
Tax rate
bill ÷ value
2-bed rent
HUD 2026
TrinityB−$160K$95K1.34%$1,010

Questions about the cost of living in Trinity

Is Trinity expensive to live in?

Measured against what households in the area earn, Trinity costs more than 52% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.8 years of the median household income of Trinity County, TX ($52K).

How much does a house cost in Trinity?

About $160K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 6.3% in a year. The Texas typical home is $296K.

What salary do you need to live in Trinity?

To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $44,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,020 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $40,000.

How much is rent in Trinity?

HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,010 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $835 (Census 2020–24).

What are property taxes in Trinity?

The median bill is $1,263 a year, 1.34% of the median home value (Texas: $4,232, 1.49%), from the Census 2020–24.

Are home prices in Trinity going up?

No: down 6.3% in the past year and -3.6% in five years, against 10.1% across Texas (Zillow).

Neighbors talk housing

What Trinity buyers, sellers and renters are saying.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 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.