Housing, rent, and a comparison to the US average.
The median home value in Salem, NJ is $228,633 as of 2026-04. That places Salem below the US average for housing cost, with a cost index of approximately 64 versus a national baseline of 100.
Over the past 12 months, the median home value in Salem has moved sideways, and over the past five years it has averaged +7.2% annual growth. The current price sits -1.0% from its 5-year peak in 2025-06.
Beyond housing, day-to-day costs in Salem are shaped by state and local taxes, utility rates, transportation, and groceries. This page focuses on the housing component, which is the largest single line in most household budgets and the easiest to compare across cities using consistent national data.
Housing
| Median home value | $228,633 |
| 1-year change | -0.4% |
| 5-year price growth | +7.2% |
| 10-year price growth | +6.9% |
| vs 5-year peak | -1.0% |
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI).
How Salem compares
| Cost index | 64 (below US) |
| Median home vs US (~$355k) | -35.6% |
| Population | 5,369 |
| Momentum score | 66 (Rising) |
Cost index is currently a housing-only proxy; full BLS basket coming with ACS pull.
Affordability reality
Prices only mean something against local pay. Here’s how Salem’s housing lines up with what people here actually earn.
| Median rent vs income | 34% of local median income |
| Home price-to-income | 5.9× local median income |
At $1,097/mo, rent eats about 34% of the local median household income of $38,721 — above the 30% rule of thumb for affordable housing.
The median home runs about 5.9× the local median income (severely stretched — a stretch even for local earners).
Daily life in Salem
Climate
Summers run mild (highs near 85°F) and winters are chilly (highs near 38°F), with about 25″ of snow a year.
Natural-hazard & insurance risk
Insurance heads-up: in Salem, flood damage isn’t covered by standard home insurance — budget for a separate NFIP/private flood policy and check the FEMA flood zone for the exact address.
Getting around
The average commute is 32 min — longer than the US average of ~27 min; 9% of workers are remote; 35% own their home.
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.