Rating

Low Cost of Owning

Scale56-100

Graded like school, from F (56) to A+ (100). Higher is better.

About This Ranking

Goal

Estimate the monthly cost of owning a $450,000 home here: the mortgage payment plus local property tax, homeowners insurance, and energy.

Sources

5 sources

Latest weekly average at the last update; the receipt shows its date

Data: The weekly national average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, published through the St. Louis Fed as series MORTGAGE30US.
What it tells us: Sets a typical mortgage payment; a particular loan's rate depends on credit, points, and loan type.

2020-2024 estimates; released January 29, 2026

Data: Place-level B25103 median annual real-estate taxes reported for owner-occupied housing units and its published 90% margin of error.
What it tells us: Describes the existing owner-occupied stock during the survey period; it is not a parcel assessment or a prediction of a buyer's post-purchase bill.

2018 to 2022 policy years; released January 2025

Data: Average premium per policy, claim frequency, and nonrenewal rate for standard HO-3 and HO-5 policies on owner-occupied homes, by ZIP code, from the NAIC data call behind the office's January 2025 report.
What it tells us: Shows what local homeowners paid for standard coverage in 2022, not a quote for a particular home or today's rates.

2024 utility data; 2025 state prices

Data: Each utility's 2024 residential revenue over its residential sales, moved to 2025 by its state's change in average price and matched to towns through retail service territory maps.
What it tells us: Gives the average residential rate of the utilities serving a town, not the rate plan or tier a particular household pays.

2020 survey; public microdata version 7

Data: Energy use of 11,585 single-family detached homes, used to fit how heating and cooling grow with the climate for each main heating fuel and to calibrate each state's homes to their actual use.
What it tells us: Describes a typical detached home's energy use, not the size, insulation, or habits of any particular household.

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Part of the True Cost pack, with