Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Fairmead, California
A $221,000 home here costs
$1,817per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,136. The real number is $680 higher every month — 60% 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.
Fairmead against Madera County and California
| Measure | Fairmead | Madera County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $220,700 | $367,700 |
| Median property tax | $1,138 | $2,575 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.516% | 0.700% |
| Median gross rent | $1,221 | $1,307 |
| Population | 1,119 | 158,790 |
The weather behind that power bill
Fairmead sits in Madera County, which averages a high of 97.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 37.6°F in its coldest, with 10.79" of precipitation a year and 56% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,749 cooling and 2,356 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Madera County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Madera County
Full Madera County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Fairmead?
A $221,000 home in Fairmead, California costs approximately $1,817 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,136 principal and interest, $95 property tax, $34 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $184 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Fairmead?
Fairmead has an effective property tax rate of 0.516%, based on a median home value of $220,700 and median real estate taxes of $1,138. That is lower than the Madera County average of 0.700%.
What is the average home price in Fairmead?
The median owner-occupied home value in Fairmead, California is $220,700, against $367,700 across Madera County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fairmead?
Median gross rent in Fairmead is $1,221 a month, against $1,817 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 Fairmead — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for California.
- 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.