Photo: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Sandy costs more to live in than 73% of U.S. towns
It ranks #94 of 119 in Utah for affordability. Up 2% in a year, 23% above 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. Sandy’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: 18% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 46% of renters.
In dollars
- $657Ktypical home, 23% above the Utah typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,210a 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
- 6.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$98K, Salt Lake City-area income
- 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 46%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Utah: 47%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Sandy’s housing numbers say
Very little new building
Sandy permitted 1,525 new homes over the past 10 years, about 1.7 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Utah, the pace in 2025 was 8.8. In 2025, Sandy permitted 25. New homes ↓
A median income doesn’t stretch to the towns next door
At Sandy’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $463K covers neither the typical home here ($657K) nor in any of the six neighboring towns. The least expensive is Midvale at $482K. Can I afford it? ↓
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 Sandy’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Sandy is more affordable than 27% of U.S. towns, #94 of 119 in Utah. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Utah: up 15.7% in five years, against 12.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 15.7% in five years
Faster than Utah (12.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Sandy | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $329,000 | $273,000 |
| 2018 | $360,000 | $298,000 |
| 2019 | $392,000 | $325,000 |
| 2020 | $419,000 | $349,000 |
| 2021 | $481,000 | $399,000 |
| 2022 | $589,000 | $496,000 |
| 2023 | $613,000 | $512,000 |
| 2024 | $618,000 | $513,000 |
| 2025 | $646,000 | $525,000 |
| 2026 | $659,000 | $536,000 |
| September 2026 | $657,000 | $533,000 |
A typical Sandy home worth $323K in October 2016 is worth about $657K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.7 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 6.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Sandy’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $252K short of a typical Sandy home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,210 a month here, $1,500 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Sandy’s typical property tax (0.49% 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 $2,210
Renters already here pay a median of $1,777, 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.
25 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 25 new homes in Sandy in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $14.6 million to build. That's 0.3 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Utah (8.8). Over the past 10 years, Sandy has permitted 1,525 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Sandy gained 9,443 residents while 2,822 new homes were permitted: about 3.3 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) | 19 | 19 | 0 | $10.8 million |
| 2025 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $14.6 million |
| 2024 | 25 | 17 | 8 | $8.8 million |
| 2023 | 80 | 31 | 49 | $23.4 million |
| 2022 | 272 | 272 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2021 | 77 | 51 | 26 | $22.2 million |
| 2020 | 84 | 46 | 38 | $20.7 million |
| 2019 | 111 | 31 | 80 | $22.3 million |
| 2018 | 235 | 54 | 181 | $38.6 million |
| 2017 | 385 | 45 | 340 | $55.1 million |
| 2016 | 231 | 55 | 176 | $34.4 million |
| 2015 | 675 | 74 | 601 | $76.6 million |
| 2014 | 503 | 79 | 424 | $51.5 million |
| 2013 | 404 | 110 | 294 | $51.4 million |
| 2012 | 106 | 100 | 6 | $23.7 million |
| 2011 | 92 | 86 | 6 | $19.8 million |
| 2010 | 80 | 80 | 0 | $20.5 million |
| 2009 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $8.8 million |
| 2008 | 194 | 46 | 148 | $26.8 million |
| 2007 | 204 | 131 | 73 | $45.2 million |
| 2006 | 512 | 474 | 38 | $73.9 million |
| 2005 | 190 | 178 | 12 | $33.3 million |
| 2004 | 131 | 119 | 12 | $48.7 million |
| 2003 | 544 | 229 | 315 | $49.4 million |
| 2002 | 235 | 235 | 0 | $30.8 million |
| 2001 | 171 | 155 | 16 | $26.6 million |
| 2000 | 191 | 171 | 20 | $33.3 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $2,983 (Utah: $2,525), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.49% 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 Sandy
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.
Sandy vs. its neighbors
Of the 6 towns here with a Zillow value, Sandy has the 3rd-lowest. Granite has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy | C | $657K | $614K | 0.49% | $2,210 |
| Granite | – | — | $1.0M | 0.59% | $2,480 |
| Midvale | C | $482K | $437K | 0.57% | $1,780 |
| Cottonwood Heights | C | $776K | $694K | 0.52% | $2,080 |
| Draper | D | $812K | $785K | 0.49% | $2,050 |
| South Jordan | C− | $661K | $651K | 0.50% | $2,170 |
| West Jordan | C | $555K | $493K | 0.52% | $1,920 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Sandy
Is Sandy expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Sandy costs more than 73% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #94 of 119 in Utah. The typical home costs 6.3 years of the median household income of the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area ($98K).
How much does a house cost in Sandy?
About $657K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.0% in a year. The Utah typical home is $533K.
What salary do you need to live in Sandy?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $159,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,710 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $88,000.
How much is rent in Sandy?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,210 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,777 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Sandy?
The median bill is $2,983 a year, 0.49% of the median home value (Utah: $2,525, 0.52%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Sandy going up?
Yes: up 2.0% in the past year and 15.7% in five years, against 12.5% across Utah (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Sandy 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.