Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Bells, Tennessee
A $164,000 home here costs
$1,354per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $843. The real number is $511 higher every month — 61% 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.
Bells against Crockett County and Tennessee
| Measure | Bells | Crockett County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $164,000 | $134,100 |
| Median property tax | $1,283 | $865 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.782% | 0.645% |
| Median gross rent | $1,014 | $854 |
| Population | 2,531 | 13,937 |
The weather behind that power bill
Bells sits in Crockett County, which averages a high of 88.6°F in its hottest month and a low of 29.1°F in its coldest, with 53.6" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,680 cooling and 3,652 heating degree days, which is what sets the $130 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Crockett County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Crockett County
Full Crockett County cost breakdown · Every county in Tennessee
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Bells?
A $164,000 home in Bells, Tennessee costs approximately $1,354 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $843 principal and interest, $107 property tax, $69 homeowners insurance, $198 utilities and $137 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Bells?
Bells has an effective property tax rate of 0.782%, based on a median home value of $164,000 and median real estate taxes of $1,283. That is higher than the Crockett County average of 0.645%.
What is the average home price in Bells?
The median owner-occupied home value in Bells, Tennessee is $164,000, against $134,100 across Crockett County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Bells?
Median gross rent in Bells is $1,014 a month, against $1,354 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 Bells — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Tennessee.
- 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.