Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Bear, Delaware
A $280,000 home here costs
$2,165per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,439. The real number is $726 higher every month — 50% 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.
Bear against New Castle County and Delaware
| Measure | Bear | New Castle County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $280,200 | $329,800 |
| Median property tax | $2,162 | $2,444 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.772% | 0.741% |
| Median gross rent | $1,676 | $1,379 |
| Population | 22,604 | 573,030 |
The weather behind that power bill
Bear sits in New Castle County, which averages a high of 86.8°F in its hottest month and a low of 25.6°F in its coldest, with 45.33" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,229 cooling and 4,647 heating degree days, which is what sets the $174 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for New Castle County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in New Castle County
Full New Castle County cost breakdown · Every county in Delaware
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Bear?
A $280,000 home in Bear, Delaware costs approximately $2,165 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,439 principal and interest, $180 property tax, $70 homeowners insurance, $242 utilities and $233 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Bear?
Bear has an effective property tax rate of 0.772%, based on a median home value of $280,200 and median real estate taxes of $2,162. That is higher than the New Castle County average of 0.741%.
What is the average home price in Bear?
The median owner-occupied home value in Bear, Delaware is $280,200, against $329,800 across New Castle County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Bear?
Median gross rent in Bear is $1,676 a month, against $2,165 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 Bear — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Delaware.
- 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.