Cost of Living in Utah
How much does it cost to live in Utah? This page pulls together the numbers that actually shape your budget — a flat 4.5% state income tax, a median home price of $541,692, and a median household income of $96,658. Every figure is cited and refreshed monthly, and the calculators below let you plug in your own salary and household to see what life in Utah really costs you.
Key Utah figures
State income tax
4.5%
Flat rate
Source: Utah State Tax Commission via PolicyEngine US parameters · as of 2026-01-01 · methodology
Median home price
$541,692
Typical home value
Source: Zillow Research (ZHVI) · as of 2026-06 (pending review) · methodology
Median household income
$96,658
$41,806 per capita
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year 2024 · as of 2024 · methodology
Electricity price
12.96¢/kWh
Residential average
Source: US EIA, Electric Power Monthly (residential price) · as of 2026-05 (pending review) · methodology
Population
3,503,613
US Census estimate
Utah calculators
Paycheck Calculator
Take-home pay after taxes
Cost of Living
Budget against local prices
Salary Needed
Income to live comfortably
Rent Affordability
Rent you can afford
Home Affordability
Home price you can afford
Budget Planner
50/30/20 at local prices
Retirement
What you need to retire here
Salary Equivalence
Compare pay across states
Where people move to and from Utah
Top states moving into Utah
- California 17,671
- Idaho 7,956
- Arizona 6,587
- Washington 6,381
- Texas 5,897
Where Utah residents move
- Texas 9,241
- California 9,019
- Arizona 7,432
- Idaho 7,170
- Colorado 5,089
Net interstate migration: +4,808 more people moved in than out (vs. the other 49 states).
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS State-to-State Migration Flows · as of 2022 · methodology
Living in Utah: what the numbers say
Utah charges a single flat 4.5% on state taxable income, so a nurse and a software director pay the same rate on each dollar. Flat systems are simple to predict, which makes budgeting straightforward, but they don't ease up on lower earners the way graduated brackets do.
Housing is where Utah is won or lost. At a median home price of $541,692 against a median household income of $96,658, homes cost about 5.6× yearly income — a stretch that pushes many households toward renting. Use the home and rent calculators below to see what your income supports here.
Day-to-day costs add up too: residential electricity in Utah runs about 12.96¢ per kilowatt-hour, one of the recurring bills the cost-of-living tools fold into a realistic monthly budget.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Utah an expensive state to live in?
- It depends on your income and housing situation. Utah has a flat 4.5% state income tax and a median home price of $541,692. The calculators on this page turn those figures into a number for your specific salary and household.
- How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Utah?
- That varies with household size, whether you rent or own, and your lifestyle. Start with the Utah paycheck calculator to see your take-home pay, then the cost-of-living tools to compare it against local expenses.
- Where do these Utah numbers come from?
- Tax figures come from state and IRS sources, home values from Zillow, income and population from the US Census, and energy prices from the EIA — each shown with its date. See our methodology page for the full list and update schedule.