Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Aiken, South Carolina
A $262,000 home here costs
$2,006per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,347. The real number is $659 higher every month — 49% more than the payment most buyers budget for.
Where every dollar goes
Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.
Aiken against Aiken County and South Carolina
| Measure | Aiken | Aiken County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $261,800 | $199,500 |
| Median property tax | $1,207 | $862 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.461% | 0.432% |
| Median gross rent | $1,199 | $1,031 |
| Population | 32,334 | 171,949 |
The weather behind that power bill
Aiken sits in Aiken County, which averages a high of 90.8°F in its hottest month and a low of 35.6°F in its coldest, with 46.22" of precipitation a year and 32% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,005 cooling and 2,383 heating degree days, which is what sets the $145 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Aiken County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Aiken County
Full Aiken County cost breakdown · Every county in South Carolina
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Aiken?
A $262,000 home in Aiken, South Carolina costs approximately $2,006 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,347 principal and interest, $101 property tax, $126 homeowners insurance, $213 utilities and $218 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Aiken?
Aiken has an effective property tax rate of 0.461%, based on a median home value of $261,800 and median real estate taxes of $1,207. That is higher than the Aiken County average of 0.432%.
What is the average home price in Aiken?
The median owner-occupied home value in Aiken, South Carolina is $261,800, against $199,500 across Aiken County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Aiken?
Median gross rent in Aiken is $1,199 a month, against $2,006 to own the median home all in. Renting costs less month to month here, though renting builds no equity.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Aiken — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for South Carolina.
- Electricity price — EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
- Mortgage rate — Freddie Mac PMMS, refreshed weekly.
- Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are national estimates. Every assumption above is editable.