Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Cairo, Illinois
A $28,000 home here costs
$506per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $144. The real number is $362 higher every month — 252% 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.
Cairo against Alexander County and Illinois
| Measure | Cairo | Alexander County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $28,200 | $58,700 |
| Median property tax | $551 | $966 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.954% | 1.646% |
| Median gross rent | $282 | $540 |
| Population | 1,699 | 5,042 |
The weather behind that power bill
Cairo sits in Alexander County, which averages a high of 89.2°F in its hottest month and a low of 26.2°F in its coldest, with 47.91" of precipitation a year and 32% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,566 cooling and 4,177 heating degree days, which is what sets the $214 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Alexander County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Alexander County
No other places of this size are published in Alexander County.
Full Alexander County cost breakdown · Every county in Illinois
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Cairo?
A $28,000 home in Cairo, Illinois costs approximately $506 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $144 principal and interest, $46 property tax, $11 homeowners insurance, $282 utilities and $23 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Cairo?
Cairo has an effective property tax rate of 1.954%, based on a median home value of $28,200 and median real estate taxes of $551. That is higher than the Alexander County average of 1.646%.
What is the average home price in Cairo?
The median owner-occupied home value in Cairo, Illinois is $28,200, against $58,700 across Alexander County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Cairo?
Median gross rent in Cairo is $282 a month, against $506 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 Cairo — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Illinois.
- 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.