Retiring in Kamas and the Kamas Valley: Cost of Living, Taxes and Healthcare

Kamas is the kind of place people find by accident on the way to the Mirror Lake Highway and then cannot stop thinking about. A working ranching town with a Main Street, a rodeo arena and a view of the Uintas, it sits in the Kamas Valley with Francis, Oakley, Woodland and Peoa. Retirees come for space, quiet and mountains, at prices Park City left behind years ago. We work with clients across the Wasatch Back, and the money questions here are a little different from the ones in the valley.

What land and homes cost

The Kamas Valley is not cheap by Utah standards anymore, but it is a different market from Park City. Homes on larger lots, older farmhouses, newer builds in small subdivisions and acreage with water rights all trade at a fraction of comparable property twenty minutes west. The gap has narrowed as remote work and Park City prices pushed buyers over the hill, and new development around Francis and along State Route 32 has been steady.

Utah’s property tax rules favor full-time residents: a primary residence is taxed on 55 percent of its market value. Agricultural land in production may qualify for greenbelt assessment at a far lower value, with a rollback tax if the use changes. If you are buying acreage, understand which parcels are assessed how before you close.

Daily costs are modest. Kamas has a grocery store, hardware, restaurants and basic services. For anything more, Park City and Heber are a short drive, and most residents make a Salt Lake run every few weeks.

Rural property has its own line items

Many Kamas Valley homes are on wells and septic systems rather than municipal water and sewer. A well pump replacement, a septic inspection and periodic pumping are real costs. Water rights in Utah are separate property and must be verified in a purchase; a home with a well but no right to the water is a problem. Propane heat, snow removal on a long driveway, a truck or SUV with four-wheel drive and, increasingly, wildfire mitigation and insurance availability all belong in the budget. We have seen retirees surprised more by these than by the purchase price.

Taxes

Taxes in Kamas are Utah taxes: a flat 4.45 percent income tax for 2026 on pensions and retirement withdrawals, a credit that removes the tax on Social Security for many retirees, and no estate tax. Summit County property tax is where rural buyers should spend their attention, since greenbelt status and the primary residence exemption can change the bill a great deal. Our article on Utah’s income tax for retirees moving from other states covers the income side.

Getting to a hospital

Kamas has a family clinic for routine care. The nearest hospitals are Intermountain Park City Hospital, about 25 minutes, and Heber Valley Hospital, about the same. Both handle emergencies, surgery and imaging. Specialty care, cancer treatment and major cardiac work mean a drive to Salt Lake City of an hour or more, longer in winter. Ambulance response times are longer than in the valley. For a retiree with a chronic condition that requires frequent specialist visits, the distance is a factor to weigh honestly. Medicare Advantage networks should be checked for Summit and Wasatch County providers before enrolling.

Life at 6,500 feet

Winters are long and snowy, with Kamas sitting around 6,500 feet. Summers are the reward: the Uinta Mountains, Mirror Lake Highway, the Provo and Weber rivers, Rockport and Jordanelle reservoirs. The community is small and tight, with a county fair, a rodeo and high school sports as the social calendar. If you want quiet, you will find it. If you want restaurants and a symphony, they are in Park City and Salt Lake, and the drive is part of the deal.

Questions for a rural retirement

• Cash flow with a full rural budget. Property tax, insurance, propane, well and septic, snow removal, vehicles and the Salt Lake trips. Our retirement budget article is a starting point.
• Liquidity. Rural property can take longer to sell than a Park City condo. Keep more of the portfolio liquid if the home is a large share of net worth.
• Water and land. Confirm water rights, greenbelt status and any agricultural leases with the title company and the Division of Water Rights.
• Estate plan. Utah documents, and a trust that holds the property so it passes without probate. If you have land in another state too, a trust avoids two probates. See updating your estate plan after moving to Utah.
• Succession of the land. If you intend the property to stay in the family, our farm and ranch succession planning article applies even to a modest acreage.

Working with us from the Kamas Valley

Our Salt Lake City office is about an hour from Kamas, so most Wasatch Back clients meet us by video and come down when it suits them. A rural retirement has more moving parts than most, and we like to see the whole list, wells and water rights included, before we build the income plan. More on our approach is on the Salt Lake City financial planning page.

Frequently asked questions

Written by Samuel Preine, Wealth Advisor, RJFS. Last reviewed: October 28, 2026.