Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Forest Home, New York
A $497,000 home here costs
$4,249per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,555. The real number is $1,694 higher every month — 66% 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.
Forest Home against Tompkins County and New York
| Measure | Forest Home | Tompkins County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $496,900 | $271,500 |
| Median property tax | $10,001 | $6,374 |
| Effective tax rate | 2.013% | 2.348% |
| Median gross rent | $1,378 | $1,374 |
| Population | 1,164 | 102,879 |
The weather behind that power bill
Forest Home sits in Tompkins County, which averages a high of 79.9°F in its hottest month and a low of 14.6°F in its coldest, with 38.29" of precipitation a year and 30% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 416 cooling and 7,207 heating degree days, which is what sets the $269 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Tompkins County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Tompkins County
Full Tompkins County cost breakdown · Every county in New York
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Forest Home?
A $497,000 home in Forest Home, New York costs approximately $4,249 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,555 principal and interest, $834 property tax, $109 homeowners insurance, $337 utilities and $414 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Forest Home?
Forest Home has an effective property tax rate of 2.013%, based on a median home value of $496,900 and median real estate taxes of $10,001. That is lower than the Tompkins County average of 2.348%.
What is the average home price in Forest Home?
The median owner-occupied home value in Forest Home, New York is $496,900, against $271,500 across Tompkins County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Forest Home?
Median gross rent in Forest Home is $1,378 a month, against $4,249 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 Forest Home — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for New York.
- 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.