Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Cottondale, Alabama
A $119,000 home here costs
$1,037per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $612. The real number is $425 higher every month — 69% 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.
Cottondale against Tuscaloosa County and Alabama
| Measure | Cottondale | Tuscaloosa County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $118,600 | $233,700 |
| Median property tax | $306 | $754 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.258% | 0.323% |
| Median gross rent | $904 | $997 |
| Population | 2,850 | 234,036 |
The weather behind that power bill
Cottondale sits in Tuscaloosa County, which averages a high of 92.2°F in its hottest month and a low of 35.2°F in its coldest, with 57.31" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,212 cooling and 2,423 heating degree days, which is what sets the $151 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Tuscaloosa County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Tuscaloosa County
Full Tuscaloosa County cost breakdown · Every county in Alabama
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Cottondale?
A $119,000 home in Cottondale, Alabama costs approximately $1,037 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $612 principal and interest, $26 property tax, $81 homeowners insurance, $219 utilities and $99 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Cottondale?
Cottondale has an effective property tax rate of 0.258%, based on a median home value of $118,600 and median real estate taxes of $306. That is lower than the Tuscaloosa County average of 0.323%.
What is the average home price in Cottondale?
The median owner-occupied home value in Cottondale, Alabama is $118,600, against $233,700 across Tuscaloosa County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Cottondale?
Median gross rent in Cottondale is $904 a month, against $1,037 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 Cottondale — 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.