Housing in Central

A typical Central home is worth roughly $158,000

Home prices around Central have risen about 52% over the past 5 years.

Typical home value

$158K

▼ 8% in a year · MO $268K

Estimate

2-bedroom rent

$900

a month, utilities in · HUD

Median tax bill

$876

MO $1,948

What kind of housing town is Central?

Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.

Prices coolingDown 8% in a year.Your money goes further41% below the Missouri typical home.

★ What stands out · Price trend

Home prices up 52% in 5 years

The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Central rose 52% over the past 5 years, about the same as across Missouri. Last year prices fell 8%.

Central areaMissouri

−8%

past year

+52%

past 5 years

+67%

past 10 years

Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Central, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.

Affordability

What it takes to buy in Central

Try your own numbers below.

You could afford about

$279,000

Typical Central home $158K

That covers a typical Central home, with $120K to spare.

The typical home, each month

$940

Loan $780Tax $110Insurance $50

A two-bedroom rents for about $900 a month here, $40 less than owning.

Where your budget reaches nearby

Ozark$77K Lamar$191K Union$263K

An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, the Missouri typical property tax (0.85% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.

Renting

A two-bedroom rents for about $900

Renters already here pay a median of $617, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.

Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included

Studio$670

1 bedroom$740

2 bedrooms$900

3 bedrooms$1,250

4 bedrooms$1,300

25%

of households rent · MO 32%

renter households

$617

median rent paid today · Census

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Barton County, MO): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

The homes

75% of Central households own their home

Half of Central’s homes were built before 1956.

Owners and renters

Own 75%Rent 25%

Missouri: 68% own.

1956

typical home built · MO 1978

$876

median property tax bill · MO $1,948

10%

of homes are seasonal or vacation homes

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 · figures for a place this size carry wide margins of error.

Next door

Central vs. its neighbors

Central is the 2nd least expensive of 4 neighboring towns. Tap one to see its housing page.

Union$263K Lamar$191K Central$158K Ozark$77K

Compare more

Town	Typical value	1-yr change	2-bed rent	Median income
Central	$158K*	−8%†	$900	$49,095
Ozark	$77K*	—	$890	$64,750
Lamar	$191K	+3.7%	$910	$56,926
Union	$263K*	−8%†	$910	$72,348

Typical value: Zillow Home Value Index; * Census median home value where Zillow has none. † FHFA price index change where Zillow has none. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. New homes: Census building permits.

Neighbors talk housing

What Central buyers, sellers and renters are saying.

Town Square →

Weigh in

Is Central still affordable for young families?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Start the conversation

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. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer.