Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Dauphin, Pennsylvania
A $186,000 home here costs
$1,653per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $956. The real number is $697 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.
Dauphin against Dauphin County and Pennsylvania
| Measure | Dauphin | Dauphin County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $185,500 | $222,300 |
| Median property tax | $2,612 | $3,171 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.408% | 1.426% |
| Median gross rent | $961 | $1,153 |
| Population | 1,065 | 287,484 |
The weather behind that power bill
Dauphin sits in Dauphin County, which averages a high of 83.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 20.0°F in its coldest, with 50.85" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 642 cooling and 5,860 heating degree days, which is what sets the $194 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Dauphin County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Dauphin County
Full Dauphin County cost breakdown · Every county in Pennsylvania
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Dauphin?
A $186,000 home in Dauphin, Pennsylvania costs approximately $1,653 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $956 principal and interest, $218 property tax, $62 homeowners insurance, $262 utilities and $155 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Dauphin?
Dauphin has an effective property tax rate of 1.408%, based on a median home value of $185,500 and median real estate taxes of $2,612. That is lower than the Dauphin County average of 1.426%.
What is the average home price in Dauphin?
The median owner-occupied home value in Dauphin, Pennsylvania is $185,500, against $222,300 across Dauphin County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Dauphin?
Median gross rent in Dauphin is $961 a month, against $1,653 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 Dauphin — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Pennsylvania.
- 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.