Congregational Church of Ludlow · Photo: Tyler Goodrich · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Ludlow costs more to live in than 81% of U.S. towns
Builders were permitted 29 new homes in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT micro area ($83K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Ludlow’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($83K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 37% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 45% of renters.
In dollars
- $1,250a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$83K, Lebanon-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 45%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Vermont: 48%Census 2020–24
- 37%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Ludlow’s housing numbers say
Most of Ludlow’s homes are second homes
68% of Ludlow’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Year-round rentals are scarce: there are 250 renter households. Property taxes ↓
Building at 4 times the Vermont pace
Builders were permitted 29 new homes in 2025: 15 per 1,000 residents, against 4 across Vermont. That’s 92 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Ludlow, so the typical value is the Census median; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Ludlow’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Ludlow is more affordable than 19% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
A typical home costs 4.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Ludlow’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $65K short of a typical Ludlow home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,250 a month here, $1,100 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Ludlow’s typical property tax (1.32% 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 $1,250
Renters already here pay a median of $1,112, 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 (Windsor County, VT): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
29 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 29 new homes in Ludlow in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $24.1 million to build. That's 15 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Vermont (4). Over the past 10 years, Ludlow has permitted 92 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Ludlow gained 209 residents while 36 new homes were permitted: about 5.8 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. 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) | 15 | 15 | 0 | $11.9 million |
| 2025 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $24.1 million |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2022 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2020 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $227,000 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $227,000 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $227,000 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $227,000 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $227,000 |
| 2014 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $773,000 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $368,000 |
| 2011 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2010 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2009 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $716,000 |
| 2008 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2007 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3.4 million |
| 2006 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2005 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2004 | 42 | 42 | 0 | $5.9 million |
| 2003 | 45 | 45 | 0 | $6 million |
| 2002 | 42 | 42 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2001 | 91 | 21 | 70 | $12.3 million |
| 2000 | 96 | 21 | 75 | $13.1 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 Vermont norm
The median bill is $4,890 (Vermont: $5,039), 1.32% of a home’s value 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+”.
Ludlow vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Ludlow.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ludlow | C− | — | $370K | 1.32% | $1,250 |
| Mount Holly | D | $402K | $297K | 1.32% | $1,380 |
| Plymouth | – | $466K | $338K | 1.65% | $1,420 |
| Cavendish | B− | $342K | $285K | 1.38% | $1,510 |
| Chester | B− | $339K | $233K | 1.83% | $1,270 |
| Andover | – | $547K | $383K | 1.36% | $1,270 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Ludlow
Is Ludlow expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Ludlow costs more than 81% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living. The typical home costs 4.4 years of the median household income of the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT micro area ($83K).
How much is rent in Ludlow?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,250 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,112 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Ludlow?
The median bill is $4,890 a year, 1.32% of the median home value (Vermont: $5,039, 1.59%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Ludlow buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. 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.