Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Alum Creek, West Virginia
A $159,000 home here costs
$1,299per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $817. The real number is $482 higher every month — 59% 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.
Alum Creek against Kanawha County and West Virginia
| Measure | Alum Creek | Kanawha County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $158,900 | $135,000 |
| Median property tax | $558 | $922 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.351% | 0.683% |
| Median gross rent | $1,298 | $879 |
| Population | 1,472 | 178,198 |
Alum Creek extends across 2 counties. Figures here use Kanawha County, where most of its housing sits.
The weather behind that power bill
Alum Creek sits in Kanawha County, which averages a high of 86.0°F in its hottest month and a low of 26.1°F in its coldest, with 46.24" of precipitation a year and 33% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,162 cooling and 4,353 heating degree days, which is what sets the $151 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Kanawha County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Kanawha County
Full Kanawha County cost breakdown · Every county in West Virginia
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Alum Creek?
A $159,000 home in Alum Creek, West Virginia costs approximately $1,299 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $817 principal and interest, $47 property tax, $84 homeowners insurance, $219 utilities and $133 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Alum Creek?
Alum Creek has an effective property tax rate of 0.351%, based on a median home value of $158,900 and median real estate taxes of $558. That is lower than the Kanawha County average of 0.683%.
What is the average home price in Alum Creek?
The median owner-occupied home value in Alum Creek, West Virginia is $158,900, against $135,000 across Kanawha County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Alum Creek?
Median gross rent in Alum Creek is $1,298 a month, against $1,299 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 Alum Creek — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for West Virginia.
- 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.