Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Santaquin costs less to live in than 51% of U.S. towns
It ranks #29 of 119 in Utah for affordability. Up 1.4% in a year, 7% below the Utah typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT metro area ($101K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Provo metro earn ($101K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 4.6 years of metro income, and 21% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $496Ktypical home, 7% below the Utah typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,310a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 98prices across the Provo metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 104)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$101K, Provo-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 21%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Utah: 47%Census 2020–24
- 26%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Santaquin’s housing numbers say
Rent is easier on renters here
21% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 47% across Utah. A standard two-bedroom is 16% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Mostly newer homes
Half of Santaquin’s homes were built after 2009, against 1992 for Utah as a whole. Property taxes ↓
Nearly every household owns
90% of Santaquin households own their home, against 70% across Utah. There are 399 renter households. Property taxes ↓
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 Santaquin’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Santaquin is more affordable than 51% of U.S. towns, #29 of 119 in Utah. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Utah: up 13.1% in five years, against 12.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 13.1% in five years
About the same pace as Utah (12.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Santaquin | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $250,000 | $273,000 |
| 2018 | $272,000 | $298,000 |
| 2019 | $300,000 | $325,000 |
| 2020 | $326,000 | $349,000 |
| 2021 | $373,000 | $399,000 |
| 2022 | $458,000 | $496,000 |
| 2023 | $470,000 | $512,000 |
| 2024 | $470,000 | $513,000 |
| 2025 | $482,000 | $525,000 |
| 2026 | $498,000 | $536,000 |
| September 2026 | $496,000 | $533,000 |
A typical Santaquin home worth $245K in October 2016 is worth about $496K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A balanced market
About 5.1 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 4.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Santaquin’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $78K short of a typical Santaquin home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,310 a month here, $1,490 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Santaquin’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 $1,310
Renters already here pay a median of $1,397.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
231 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 231 new homes in Santaquin in 2025: 157 single-family houses and 74 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $85.3 million to build. That's 14 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Utah (8.8). Over the past 10 years, Santaquin has permitted 2,800 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Santaquin gained 4,597 residents while 1,265 new homes were permitted: about 3.6 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. 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) | 168 | 97 | 71 | $37.1 million |
| 2025 | 231 | 157 | 74 | $85.3 million |
| 2024 | 268 | 176 | 92 | $82.5 million |
| 2023 | 201 | 132 | 69 | $62.7 million |
| 2022 | 263 | 146 | 117 | $74.2 million |
| 2021 | 566 | 293 | 273 | $141.1 million |
| 2020 | 433 | 381 | 52 | $117.8 million |
| 2019 | 226 | 143 | 83 | $57.9 million |
| 2018 | 214 | 183 | 31 | $56 million |
| 2017 | 228 | 208 | 20 | $59.9 million |
| 2016 | 170 | 163 | 7 | $44.3 million |
| 2015 | 130 | 125 | 5 | $35.9 million |
| 2014 | 95 | 95 | 0 | $25.3 million |
| 2013 | 76 | 70 | 6 | $19.1 million |
| 2012 | 33 | 31 | 2 | $7.8 million |
| 2011 | 30 | 22 | 8 | $6.1 million |
| 2010 | 63 | 57 | 6 | $13.3 million |
| 2009 | 69 | 59 | 10 | $14.6 million |
| 2008 | 63 | 37 | 26 | $7.9 million |
| 2007 | 184 | 162 | 22 | $35.8 million |
| 2006 | 158 | 154 | 4 | $29.4 million |
| 2005 | 98 | 94 | 4 | $16.9 million |
| 2004 | 104 | 104 | 0 | $16.6 million |
| 2003 | 81 | 81 | 0 | $11.8 million |
| 2002 | 81 | 81 | 0 | $11.6 million |
| 2001 | 101 | 101 | 0 | $11.3 million |
| 2000 | 99 | 95 | 4 | $9.7 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 $2,236 (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 Santaquin
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Provo-Orem-Lehi, 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 | 98 | 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.
Santaquin vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Santaquin has the lowest. Spring Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santaquin | B− | $496K | $465K | 0.48% | $1,310 |
| Spring Lake | – | — | $555K | 0.47% | $1,500 |
| West Mountain | B | $1.3M | $658K | 0.41% | $1,500 |
| Genola | C+ | $832K | $638K | 0.39% | $1,290 |
“—” 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 Santaquin
Is Santaquin expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Santaquin costs less than 51% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #29 of 119 in Utah. The typical home costs 4.6 years of the median household income of the Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT metro area ($101K).
How much does a house cost in Santaquin?
About $496K, 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 Santaquin?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $120,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,800 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $52,000.
How much is rent in Santaquin?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,310 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,397 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Santaquin?
The median bill is $2,236 a year, 0.48% of the median home value (Utah: $2,525, 0.52%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Santaquin going up?
Yes: up 1.4% in the past year and 13.1% in five years, against 12.5% across Utah (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Santaquin 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.