Cost of Living & Housing in Ashtabula
Ashtabula's cost of living pairs genuinely, dramatically affordable housing with a directly-collected, comparatively simple local income tax and a real, disclosed above-average property tax rate -- against a backdrop of genuinely below-norm area median income.
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Learn moreDramatically affordable housing -- with a real, disclosed cross-source spread
The city-specific Zillow average home value ran approximately $160,000 in 2026 (up roughly 10% year-over-year), well below the Ohio statewide average ($218,865-$251,502, itself a disclosed cross-source range). The broader Ashtabula County average ran somewhat higher ($184,924), and a separate county median SALE price citation ran $190,000 -- up a sharp 22.5% year-over-year. Confirm current, specific listings directly (base record).
A real, disclosed above-average property tax rate
Ashtabula's own effective property tax rate ran 3.01%, notably above both the Ohio statewide median (~1.60%) and the national median (~1.02%), with a median annual property tax bill of approximately $2,777 (base record).
Ashtabula's own directly-collected 1.8% city income tax -- not RITA or CCA
Ashtabula levies a real, current 1.8% municipal income tax, collected directly through its own Income Tax Department. A real, disclosed within-county contrast worth knowing: nearby Conneaut, also in Ashtabula County, DOES use RITA for its own municipal tax collection. Ohio's flat 2.75% state income tax (above a $26,050 exemption) and 5.75% state base sales tax apply on top (base record).
Genuinely below-norm area median income
Ashtabula's median household income ran $44,120, with a real, disclosed poverty rate of approximately 29.77% -- more than double the Ohio statewide and national rates -- an honest detail worth weighing directly alongside the area's low housing costs (base record).
Key takeaways
- Ashtabula's housing runs genuinely, dramatically affordable relative to the Ohio statewide average, though city- and county-level citations carry a real, disclosed spread.
- Ashtabula's own effective property tax rate (3.01%) runs notably above both Ohio statewide and national medians.
- Ashtabula collects its own 1.8% city income tax directly -- not through RITA or CCA, unlike nearby Conneaut.
- Median household income ($44,120) and poverty rate (~29.77%) both run genuinely below Ohio statewide and national norms.
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