Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Cottonwood, Alabama
A $110,000 home here costs
$980per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $566. The real number is $415 higher every month — 73% 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.
Cottonwood against Houston County and Alabama
| Measure | Cottonwood | Houston County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $110,300 | $178,000 |
| Median property tax | $354 | $534 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.321% | 0.300% |
| Median gross rent | $335 | $905 |
| Population | 1,091 | 107,628 |
The weather behind that power bill
Cottonwood sits in Houston County, which averages a high of 93.3°F in its hottest month and a low of 39.8°F in its coldest, with 53.85" of precipitation a year and 32% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,686 cooling and 1,633 heating degree days, which is what sets the $151 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Houston County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Houston County
Full Houston County cost breakdown · Every county in Alabama
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Cottonwood?
A $110,000 home in Cottonwood, Alabama costs approximately $980 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $566 principal and interest, $29 property tax, $75 homeowners insurance, $219 utilities and $92 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Cottonwood?
Cottonwood has an effective property tax rate of 0.321%, based on a median home value of $110,300 and median real estate taxes of $354. That is higher than the Houston County average of 0.300%.
What is the average home price in Cottonwood?
The median owner-occupied home value in Cottonwood, Alabama is $110,300, against $178,000 across Houston County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Cottonwood?
Median gross rent in Cottonwood is $335 a month, against $980 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 Cottonwood — 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.