Warenski-Duvall Commercial Building and Apartments · Photo: Karrol Broschinsky · Public domainEven on the area’s higher pay, Murray costs more to live in than 62% of U.S. towns
It ranks #62 of 119 in Utah for affordability. Up 1.4% in a year, close to 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. Murray’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: 19% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 42% of renters.
In dollars
- $544Ktypical home, 2% above the Utah typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,740a 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
- 5.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$98K, Salt Lake City-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 42%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Utah: 47%Census 2020–24
- 19%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What’s behind Murray’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Murray is more affordable than 38% of U.S. towns, #62 of 119 in Utah. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Utah: up 13.7% in five years, against 12.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 13.7% in five years
About the same pace as Utah (12.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Murray | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $272,000 | $273,000 |
| 2018 | $302,000 | $298,000 |
| 2019 | $332,000 | $325,000 |
| 2020 | $357,000 | $349,000 |
| 2021 | $411,000 | $399,000 |
| 2022 | $498,000 | $496,000 |
| 2023 | $516,000 | $512,000 |
| 2024 | $519,000 | $513,000 |
| 2025 | $533,000 | $525,000 |
| 2026 | $547,000 | $536,000 |
| September 2026 | $544,000 | $533,000 |
A typical Murray home worth $268K in October 2016 is worth about $544K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A balanced market
About 6 months of supply: neither buyers nor sellers have a clear edge.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Murray’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $139K short of a typical Murray home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,740 a month here, $1,330 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Murray’s typical property tax (0.48% 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 $1,740
Renters already here pay a median of $1,500, 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.
80 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 80 new homes in Murray in 2025: 39 single-family houses and 41 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $26.9 million to build. That's 1.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Utah (8.8). Over the past 10 years, Murray has permitted 2,465 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Murray gained 3,891 residents while 1,443 new homes were permitted: about 2.7 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) | 75 | 58 | 17 | $19.2 million |
| 2025 | 80 | 39 | 41 | $26.9 million |
| 2024 | 316 | 209 | 107 | $90.7 million |
| 2023 | 424 | 49 | 375 | $98 million |
| 2022 | 490 | 42 | 448 | $75.2 million |
| 2021 | 415 | 101 | 314 | $102 million |
| 2020 | 132 | 132 | 0 | $36.2 million |
| 2019 | 161 | 161 | 0 | $46.2 million |
| 2018 | 132 | 132 | 0 | $46.8 million |
| 2017 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $21.6 million |
| 2016 | 227 | 52 | 175 | $41.8 million |
| 2015 | 69 | 57 | 12 | $15.5 million |
| 2014 | 179 | 61 | 118 | $33.5 million |
| 2013 | 171 | 50 | 121 | $27.8 million |
| 2012 | 64 | 32 | 32 | $10 million |
| 2011 | 309 | 41 | 268 | $46.3 million |
| 2010 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $8.2 million |
| 2009 | 42 | 42 | 0 | $6.8 million |
| 2008 | 95 | 95 | 0 | $8.5 million |
| 2007 | 186 | 186 | 0 | $21.7 million |
| 2006 | 236 | 236 | 0 | $25 million |
| 2005 | 159 | 69 | 90 | $19.7 million |
| 2004 | 118 | 118 | 0 | $25.6 million |
| 2003 | 99 | 99 | 0 | $21.2 million |
| 2002 | 78 | 78 | 0 | $17.2 million |
| 2001 | 84 | 84 | 0 | $16.4 million |
| 2000 | 155 | 155 | 0 | $24.2 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 $2,422 (Utah: $2,525), 0.48% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Murray
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.
Murray vs. its neighbors
Of the 7 towns here with a Zillow value, Murray has the 3rd-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray | C+ | $544K | $508K | 0.48% | $1,740 |
| Taylorsville | C+ | $492K | $434K | 0.58% | $1,710 |
| Millcreek | C− | $632K | $627K | 0.56% | $1,790 |
| Midvale | C | $482K | $437K | 0.57% | $1,780 |
| Holladay | C | $846K | $763K | 0.45% | $1,900 |
| 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 Murray
Is Murray expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Murray costs more than 62% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #62 of 119 in Utah. The typical home costs 5.2 years of the median household income of the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area ($98K).
How much does a house cost in Murray?
About $544K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.4% in a year. The Utah typical home is $533K.
What salary do you need to live in Murray?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $132,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,070 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $70,000.
How much is rent in Murray?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,740 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,500 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Murray?
The median bill is $2,422 a year, 0.48% of the median home value (Utah: $2,525, 0.52%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Murray going up?
Yes: up 1.4% in the past year and 13.7% in five years, against 12.5% across Utah (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Murray 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.