Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Dothan, Alabama
A $187,000 home here costs
$1,512per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $961. The real number is $551 higher every month — 57% 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.
Dothan against Houston County and Alabama
| Measure | Dothan | Houston County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $186,600 | $178,000 |
| Median property tax | $579 | $534 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.310% | 0.300% |
| Median gross rent | $912 | $905 |
| Population | 71,118 | 107,628 |
Dothan extends across 3 counties. Figures here use Houston County, where most of its housing sits.
The weather behind that power bill
Dothan 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 Dothan?
A $187,000 home in Dothan, Alabama costs approximately $1,512 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $961 principal and interest, $48 property tax, $128 homeowners insurance, $219 utilities and $156 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Dothan?
Dothan has an effective property tax rate of 0.310%, based on a median home value of $186,600 and median real estate taxes of $579. That is higher than the Houston County average of 0.300%.
What is the average home price in Dothan?
The median owner-occupied home value in Dothan, Alabama is $186,600, against $178,000 across Houston County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Dothan?
Median gross rent in Dothan is $912 a month, against $1,512 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 Dothan — 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.