Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Centre, Alabama
A $166,000 home here costs
$1,384per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $853. The real number is $531 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.
Centre against Cherokee County and Alabama
| Measure | Centre | Cherokee County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $166,300 | $165,900 |
| Median property tax | $728 | $643 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.438% | 0.388% |
| Median gross rent | $666 | $750 |
| Population | 3,664 | 25,224 |
The weather behind that power bill
Centre sits in Cherokee County, which averages a high of 89.8°F in its hottest month and a low of 28.7°F in its coldest, with 57.08" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,509 cooling and 3,422 heating degree days, which is what sets the $151 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Cherokee County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Cherokee County
Full Cherokee County cost breakdown · Every county in Alabama
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Centre?
A $166,000 home in Centre, Alabama costs approximately $1,384 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $853 principal and interest, $61 property tax, $113 homeowners insurance, $219 utilities and $138 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Centre?
Centre has an effective property tax rate of 0.438%, based on a median home value of $166,300 and median real estate taxes of $728. That is higher than the Cherokee County average of 0.388%.
What is the average home price in Centre?
The median owner-occupied home value in Centre, Alabama is $166,300, against $165,900 across Cherokee County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Centre?
Median gross rent in Centre is $666 a month, against $1,384 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 Centre — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Alabama.
- 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.