State profile
Vermont Cost of Living Comparison
Vermont's 2024 price level is 97.958, 2.04% below the national level, after the largest relative fall of any jurisdiction since 2020: down 4.174 points from 102.132.
Updated
97.958Vermont all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 29 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Vermont | Pennsylvania | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 97.958 | 97.572 | +0.386 points |
| Rent price level | 86.502 | 85.068 | +1.434 points |
| Home value | $316,600±$3,361 | $254,500±$767 | +$62,100 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,384±$42 | $1,245±$7 | +$139 |
| Household income | $81,203±$1,339 | $77,971±$342 | +$3,232 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $5,039±$66 | $3,311±$12 | +$1,728 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Vermont scales to $3,984 in Pennsylvania at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Vermont: falling prices, a state property tax, dear energy
Vermont was above the national level in 2020 and is below it now. The all-items parity swung from 102.132 to 98.694 in 2021, back to 101.033 in 2022, down to 97.142 in 2023 and 97.958 in 2024. No other state or the District moved as far down over those five years.
Energy is the expensive line. Utilities, at 125.833, are 25.83% above the national level, rank 43, while rents (86.502) and goods (97.274) are below it.
Vermont's state government taxes property directly, and heavily. Property tax supplied 28.7% of fiscal 2025 state collections, $2,314 per resident, the largest property share of any jurisdiction in the Census survey, ahead of even the District of Columbia. Individual income tax supplied 26.9% and general sales just 11.9%. Total collections were $8,075 per resident, rank 2. For owners, that shows up as a median real estate tax of $5,039 a year, rank 8, and median monthly costs of $837 for owners without a mortgage, also rank 8.
Housing values and incomes are mid-table: a median home value of $316,600 (rank 24), a two-bedroom gross-rent median of $1,384 (rank 22), and a median household income of $81,203 (rank 20). Real per capita personal income, adjusted for prices, is $58,893, rank 22 and close to the U.S. figure.
Vermont is cheaper than all three neighbours. New Hampshire is at 104.165, Massachusetts at 105.757 and New York at 107.921; the Massachusetts two-bedroom median of $1,876 is $492 a month above Vermont's. Pennsylvania (97.572) is the nearest price level nationally.
Category price levels in Vermont
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 97.958 | 29 | 2.04% below |
| Goods | 97.274 | 31 | 2.73% below |
| Housing (rents) | 86.502 | 26 | 13.50% below |
| Utilities | 125.833 | 43 | 25.83% above |
| Other services | 101.586 | 37 | 1.59% above |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $58,893 | 22 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 102.132 · 2021 98.694 · 2022 101.033 · 2023 97.142 · 2024 97.958 (−4.174 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $1,907±$17 · rank 22, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $837±$9 · rank 8
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 29.4%±0.6 · rank 25
Vermont state tax collections, FY2025
$5.21 billion in total, $8,075 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $1.40 billion | 26.9% | $2,170 |
| General sales | $618.1 million | 11.9% | $959 |
| Property | $1.49 billion | 28.7% | $2,314 |
| Motor fuel | $122.6 million | 2.4% | $190 |
| Other selective sales | $852.0 million | 16.4% | $1,322 |
| Corporate income | $286.0 million | 5.5% | $444 |
| Licenses | $171.8 million | 3.3% | $267 |
| Severance | not levied | ||
| Other taxes | $264.6 million | 5.1% | $410 |
Vermont beside its neighbours
| Jurisdiction | All items | Rents | Goods | 2BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 97.958 | 86.502 | 97.274 | $1,384 |
| Massachusetts | 105.757 | 128.068 | 98.820 | $1,876 |
| New Hampshire | 104.165 | 114.947 | 98.578 | $1,642 |
| New York | 107.921 | 122.168 | 107.254 | $1,620 |
Before you budget a move
A Vermont housing comparison should state whether the intended residence is year-round and how the property will be used. The historical owner-occupied taxes-paid median does not establish the classification, assessment or levies on a specific future purchase. Obtain those facts before turning a benchmark into an ownership budget.
For Burlington-area or another Vermont destination, check the lease’s utility and occupancy terms. Compare the actual compensation offer rather than substitute the household-income median. Keep seasonal accommodation, moving expenses and deposits separate from the recurring twelve-month plan used to compare state price levels.
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