Photo: Greenmountainboy · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Cornwall costs more to live in than 78% of U.S. towns
Down 0.5% in a year, 47% above the Vermont typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Addison County, VT ($90K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Cornwall’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($90K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 30% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 62% of renters.
In dollars
- $578Ktypical home, 47% above the Vermont typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,470a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$90K, Addison County income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 30%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Cornwall, in brief
Prices are 9% below their 2024 peak
The typical Cornwall home peaked at $638K in August 2024 and is worth about $578K now. Across Vermont, values are only slightly off their high. Over five years, Cornwall is still up 2.1%. Price trend ↓
Nearly every household owns
94% of Cornwall households own their home, against 73% across Vermont. There are only 21 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
The priciest town in its area
Cornwall tops the six neighboring towns with a Zillow value. The next most expensive is Weybridge at $509K; the least, Whiting at $337K. Vs. neighbors ↓
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 Cornwall’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Cornwall is more affordable than 22% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have lagged Vermont: the typical Cornwall home is up 2.1% in five years, against 16.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 2.1% in five years
Slower than Vermont (16.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Cornwall | Vermont |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $403,000 | $240,000 |
| 2018 | $431,000 | $252,000 |
| 2019 | $451,000 | $260,000 |
| 2020 | $479,000 | $270,000 |
| 2021 | $525,000 | $297,000 |
| 2022 | $578,000 | $343,000 |
| 2023 | $604,000 | $371,000 |
| 2024 | $630,000 | $392,000 |
| 2025 | $625,000 | $392,000 |
| 2026 | $577,000 | $391,000 |
| September 2026 | $578,000 | $392,000 |
A typical Cornwall home worth $398K in October 2016 is worth about $578K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Cornwall’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $253K short of a typical Cornwall home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,470 a month here, $2,270 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Cornwall’s typical property tax (1.47% 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 $1,470
Renters already here pay a median of $1,125, 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 (Addison County, VT): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
6 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 6 new homes in Cornwall in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.9 million to build. That's 5 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Vermont as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Cornwall has permitted 72 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Cornwall gained 22 residents while 42 new homes were permitted: about 0.5 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Vermont: 1.1 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $622,000 |
| 2025 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $660,000 |
| 2023 | 11 | 9 | 2 | $2.7 million |
| 2022 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2021 | 11 | 9 | 2 | $2.7 million |
| 2020 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $500,000 |
| 2017 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2016 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2015 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2014 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $450,000 |
| 2012 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $850,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $500,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $600,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $325,000 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2005 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2004 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $480,000 |
| 2003 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2002 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2001 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2000 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.2 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 $6,726 (Vermont: $5,039), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 1.47% a year, against 1.59% 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+”.
Cornwall vs. its neighbors
Of the 7 towns here with a Zillow value, Cornwall has the 7th-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | C− | $578K | $458K | 1.47% | $1,470 |
| Salisbury | C+ | $401K | $307K | 1.58% | $1,860 |
| Middlebury | C− | $446K | $410K | 1.68% | $1,480 |
| Bridport | C+ | $394K | $367K | 1.50% | $1,370 |
| Whiting | – | $337K | $280K | 1.51% | $1,270 |
| Shoreham | C+ | $411K | $316K | 1.49% | $1,300 |
| Weybridge | – | $509K | $420K | 1.46% | $1,480 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Cornwall
Is Cornwall expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Cornwall costs more than 78% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living. The typical home costs 5.1 years of the median household income of Addison County, VT ($90K).
How much does a house cost in Cornwall?
About $578K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.5% in a year. The Vermont typical home is $392K.
What salary do you need to live in Cornwall?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $160,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,740 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $59,000.
How much is rent in Cornwall?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,470 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,125 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Cornwall?
The median bill is $6,726 a year, 1.47% of the median home value (Vermont: $5,039, 1.59%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Cornwall going up?
No: down 0.5% in the past year and 2.1% in five years, against 16.9% across Vermont (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Cornwall 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. 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.