Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Moab costs more to live in than 80% of U.S. towns
It ranks #105 of 119 in Utah for affordability. Down 2.6% in a year, 8% above the Utah typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Grand County, UT ($67K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across Grand County earn ($67K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 7.7 years of area income, and 54% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $576Ktypical home, 8% above the Utah typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,560a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 7.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$67K, Grand County income
- 17%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
- 32%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Moab, in brief
Prices are 8% below their 2022 peak
The typical Moab home peaked at $629K in July 2022 and is worth about $576K now. Across Utah, values are only slightly off their high. Over five years, Moab is still up 9.4%. Price trend ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $1,560 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Moab pay a median of $969. Renting ↓
Building at about twice the Utah pace
Builders were permitted 90 new homes in 2025: 17 per 1,000 residents, against 8.8 across Utah. That’s 540 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
2026 has already passed 2025
Through August, Moab had permitted 214 new homes in 2026, more than the 90 in all of 2025. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Moab’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Moab is more affordable than 20% of U.S. towns, #105 of 119 in Utah. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Utah: up 9.4% in five years, against 12.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 9.4% in five years
Slower than Utah (12.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Moab | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $305,000 | $273,000 |
| 2018 | $336,000 | $298,000 |
| 2019 | $371,000 | $325,000 |
| 2020 | $393,000 | $349,000 |
| 2021 | $461,000 | $399,000 |
| 2022 | $570,000 | $496,000 |
| 2023 | $598,000 | $512,000 |
| 2024 | $602,000 | $513,000 |
| 2025 | $604,000 | $525,000 |
| 2026 | $589,000 | $536,000 |
| September 2026 | $576,000 | $533,000 |
A typical Moab home worth $292K in October 2016 is worth about $576K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 7.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Moab’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $297K short of a typical Moab home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,560 a month here, $1,660 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Moab’s typical property tax (0.42% 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 $1,560
Renters already here pay a median of $969, 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 (Grand County, UT): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
90 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 90 new homes in Moab in 2025: 8 single-family houses and 82 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $15.7 million to build. That's 17 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Utah (8.8). Over the past 10 years, Moab has permitted 540 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Moab gained 320 residents while 498 new homes were permitted: about 0.6 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Utah: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 214 | 17 | 197 | $39.2 million |
| 2025 | 90 | 8 | 82 | $15.7 million |
| 2024 | 92 | 6 | 86 | $4 million |
| 2023 | 27 | 16 | 11 | $6.1 million |
| 2022 | 11 | 2 | 9 | $2.1 million |
| 2021 | 16 | 8 | 8 | $4.5 million |
| 2020 | 27 | 17 | 10 | $4.4 million |
| 2019 | 71 | 21 | 50 | $10 million |
| 2018 | 85 | 80 | 5 | $14.9 million |
| 2017 | 85 | 85 | 0 | $15.3 million |
| 2016 | 36 | 26 | 10 | $6.2 million |
| 2015 | 25 | 23 | 2 | $5.3 million |
| 2014 | 37 | 27 | 10 | $5.4 million |
| 2013 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2012 | 33 | 15 | 18 | $5.8 million |
| 2011 | 89 | 29 | 60 | $14.4 million |
| 2010 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2009 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2008 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2007 | 35 | 33 | 2 | $6.7 million |
| 2006 | 22 | 18 | 4 | $4.3 million |
| 2005 | 37 | 37 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| 2004 | 12 | 8 | 4 | $1.3 million |
| 2003 | 11 | 7 | 4 | $1.2 million |
| 2002 | 35 | 35 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2001 | 32 | 32 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2000 | 34 | 34 | 0 | $3.1 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Utah norm
The median bill is $2,200 (Utah: $2,525), 0.42% of a home’s value 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+”.
Moab and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moab | C− | $576K | $519K | 0.42% | $1,560 |
Questions about the cost of living in Moab
Is Moab expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Moab costs more than 80% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #105 of 119 in Utah. The typical home costs 7.7 years of the median household income of Grand County, UT ($67K).
How much does a house cost in Moab?
About $576K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 2.6% in a year. The Utah typical home is $533K.
What salary do you need to live in Moab?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $138,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,220 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $62,000.
How much is rent in Moab?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,560 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $969 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Moab?
The median bill is $2,200 a year, 0.42% of the median home value (Utah: $2,525, 0.52%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Moab going up?
No: down 2.6% in the past year and 9.4% in five years, against 12.5% across Utah (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Moab 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.