Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Amherst, Wisconsin
A $218,000 home here costs
$1,844per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,121. The real number is $723 higher every month — 65% 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.
Amherst against Portage County and Wisconsin
| Measure | Amherst | Portage County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $218,000 | $230,400 |
| Median property tax | $2,875 | $3,396 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.319% | 1.474% |
| Median gross rent | $829 | $903 |
| Population | 1,033 | 70,375 |
The weather behind that power bill
Amherst sits in Portage County, which averages a high of 79.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 7.1°F in its coldest, with 33.97" of precipitation a year and 38% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 451 cooling and 8,037 heating degree days, which is what sets the $177 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Portage County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Portage County
Full Portage County cost breakdown · Every county in Wisconsin
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Amherst?
A $218,000 home in Amherst, Wisconsin costs approximately $1,844 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,121 principal and interest, $240 property tax, $56 homeowners insurance, $245 utilities and $182 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Amherst?
Amherst has an effective property tax rate of 1.319%, based on a median home value of $218,000 and median real estate taxes of $2,875. That is lower than the Portage County average of 1.474%.
What is the average home price in Amherst?
The median owner-occupied home value in Amherst, Wisconsin is $218,000, against $230,400 across Portage County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Amherst?
Median gross rent in Amherst is $829 a month, against $1,844 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 Amherst — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Wisconsin.
- 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.