Thomas and Beda Anderberg House · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Midvale costs more to live in than 74% of U.S. towns
It ranks #98 of 119 in Utah for affordability. About the same as a year ago, 9% below the Utah typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area ($98K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Midvale’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($98K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 24% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 54% of renters.
In dollars
- $482Ktypical home, 9% below the Utah typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,780a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 101prices across the Salt Lake City metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 123)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$98K, Salt Lake City-area income
- 20%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 Utah: 47%Census 2020–24
- 24%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Midvale, in brief
Most Midvale households rent
57% of households rent their home, 8,427 in all, against 30% across Utah. Renting ↓
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 2,351 homes permitted in Midvale’s past 10 years, 86% were in buildings with two or more homes, not single-family houses. New homes ↓
The least expensive town in its area
All four neighboring towns with a Zillow value cost more than Midvale. The closest is Murray at $544K; Cottonwood Heights tops the list at $776K. Vs. neighbors ↓
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 September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Midvale’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Midvale is more affordable than 26% of U.S. towns, #98 of 119 in Utah. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Utah: up 10.0% in five years, against 12.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10% in five years
About the same pace as Utah (12.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Midvale | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $251,000 | $273,000 |
| 2018 | $278,000 | $298,000 |
| 2019 | $302,000 | $325,000 |
| 2020 | $323,000 | $349,000 |
| 2021 | $373,000 | $399,000 |
| 2022 | $457,000 | $496,000 |
| 2023 | $471,000 | $512,000 |
| 2024 | $471,000 | $513,000 |
| 2025 | $480,000 | $525,000 |
| 2026 | $488,000 | $536,000 |
| September 2026 | $482,000 | $533,000 |
A typical Midvale home worth $247K in October 2016 is worth about $482K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A buyer's market
More homes are for sale than are selling — about 6 months of supply. Buyers have room to negotiate.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Midvale’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $82K short of a typical Midvale home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,780 a month here, $980 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Midvale’s typical property tax (0.57% 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 $1,780
Renters already here pay a median of $1,597, 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 (Salt Lake City, UT 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.
92 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 92 new homes in Midvale in 2025: 22 single-family houses and 70 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $30.6 million to build. That's 2.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Utah (8.8). Over the past 10 years, Midvale has permitted 2,351 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Midvale gained 8,064 residents while 3,048 new homes were permitted: about 2.6 new residents per new home, about the same as across Utah (2.7).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 50 | 28 | 22 | $16.1 million |
| 2025 | 92 | 22 | 70 | $30.6 million |
| 2024 | 54 | 34 | 20 | $11.4 million |
| 2023 | 227 | 23 | 204 | $40.2 million |
| 2022 | 272 | 24 | 248 | $47.4 million |
| 2021 | 245 | 26 | 219 | $45.8 million |
| 2020 | 286 | 36 | 250 | $46.4 million |
| 2019 | 425 | 9 | 416 | $67.9 million |
| 2018 | 488 | 80 | 408 | $52.4 million |
| 2017 | 55 | 53 | 2 | $12.9 million |
| 2016 | 207 | 17 | 190 | $41.2 million |
| 2015 | 229 | 69 | 160 | $40.5 million |
| 2014 | 385 | 169 | 216 | $59.8 million |
| 2013 | 433 | 213 | 220 | $71.6 million |
| 2012 | 162 | 134 | 28 | $25.7 million |
| 2011 | 602 | 142 | 460 | $49.7 million |
| 2010 | 62 | 46 | 16 | $9.1 million |
| 2009 | 551 | 47 | 504 | $71.7 million |
| 2008 | 499 | 73 | 426 | $72 million |
| 2007 | 153 | 93 | 60 | $21.6 million |
| 2006 | 141 | 117 | 24 | $22 million |
| 2005 | 91 | 45 | 46 | $13 million |
| 2004 | 160 | 128 | 32 | $24.5 million |
| 2003 | 63 | 59 | 4 | $9 million |
| 2002 | 115 | 68 | 47 | $14.1 million |
| 2001 | 96 | 63 | 33 | $9.2 million |
| 2000 | 139 | 97 | 42 | $12.5 million |
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 $2,480, under the Utah median of $2,525, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.57% a year, against 0.52% 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 Midvale
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area, or Utah. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 101 | UT 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | UT 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 79 | UT 79 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | UT 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.
Midvale vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, Midvale has the lowest.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midvale | C | $482K | $437K | 0.57% | $1,780 |
| Sandy | C | $657K | $614K | 0.49% | $2,210 |
| Murray | C+ | $544K | $508K | 0.48% | $1,740 |
| West Jordan | C | $555K | $493K | 0.52% | $1,920 |
| Cottonwood Heights | C | $776K | $694K | 0.52% | $2,080 |
Questions about the cost of living in Midvale
Is Midvale expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Midvale costs more than 74% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #98 of 119 in Utah. The typical home costs 4.5 years of the median household income of the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area ($98K).
How much does a house cost in Midvale?
About $482K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.2% in a year. The Utah typical home is $533K.
What salary do you need to live in Midvale?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $118,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,760 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $71,000.
How much is rent in Midvale?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,780 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,597 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Midvale?
The median bill is $2,480 a year, 0.57% of the median home value (Utah: $2,525, 0.52%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Midvale going up?
Barely: up 0.2% in the past year and 10.0% in five years, against 12.5% across Utah (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Midvale 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, 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.