Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Cle Elum, Washington
A $379,000 home here costs
$2,699per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,948. The real number is $750 higher every month — 38% 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.
Cle Elum against Kittitas County and Washington
| Measure | Cle Elum | Kittitas County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $379,300 | $459,900 |
| Median property tax | $2,109 | $3,255 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.556% | 0.708% |
| Median gross rent | $1,075 | $1,253 |
| Population | 2,078 | 44,736 |
The weather behind that power bill
Cle Elum sits in Kittitas County, which averages a high of 86.5°F in its hottest month and a low of 23.8°F in its coldest, with 9.16" of precipitation a year and 42% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 568 cooling and 5,970 heating degree days, which is what sets the $134 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Kittitas County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Kittitas County
Full Kittitas County cost breakdown · Every county in Washington
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Cle Elum?
A $379,000 home in Cle Elum, Washington costs approximately $2,699 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,948 principal and interest, $176 property tax, $56 homeowners insurance, $202 utilities and $316 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Cle Elum?
Cle Elum has an effective property tax rate of 0.556%, based on a median home value of $379,300 and median real estate taxes of $2,109. That is lower than the Kittitas County average of 0.708%.
What is the average home price in Cle Elum?
The median owner-occupied home value in Cle Elum, Washington is $379,300, against $459,900 across Kittitas County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Cle Elum?
Median gross rent in Cle Elum is $1,075 a month, against $2,699 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 Cle Elum — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Washington.
- 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.