Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Buffalo, Missouri
A $131,000 home here costs
$1,093per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $673. The real number is $420 higher every month — 62% 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.
Buffalo against Dallas County and Missouri
| Measure | Buffalo | Dallas County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $131,300 | $151,200 |
| Median property tax | $619 | $726 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.471% | 0.480% |
| Median gross rent | $647 | $685 |
| Population | 3,358 | 17,344 |
The weather behind that power bill
Buffalo sits in Dallas County, which averages a high of 88.9°F in its hottest month and a low of 20.1°F in its coldest, with 45.26" of precipitation a year and 33% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,242 cooling and 4,836 heating degree days, which is what sets the $123 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Dallas County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Dallas County
No other places of this size are published in Dallas County.
Full Dallas County cost breakdown · Every county in Missouri
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Buffalo?
A $131,000 home in Buffalo, Missouri costs approximately $1,093 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $673 principal and interest, $51 property tax, $68 homeowners insurance, $191 utilities and $109 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Buffalo?
Buffalo has an effective property tax rate of 0.471%, based on a median home value of $131,300 and median real estate taxes of $619. That is in line with the Dallas County average of 0.480%.
What is the average home price in Buffalo?
The median owner-occupied home value in Buffalo, Missouri is $131,300, against $151,200 across Dallas County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Buffalo?
Median gross rent in Buffalo is $647 a month, against $1,093 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 Buffalo — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Missouri.
- 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.