Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Forest Park, Georgia
A $119,000 home here costs
$1,079per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $612. The real number is $467 higher every month — 76% 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 Park against Clayton County and Georgia
| Measure | Forest Park | Clayton County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $119,000 | $194,500 |
| Median property tax | $1,270 | $1,737 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.067% | 0.893% |
| Median gross rent | $1,101 | $1,307 |
| Population | 19,619 | 298,771 |
The weather behind that power bill
Forest Park sits in Clayton County, which averages a high of 90.1°F in its hottest month and a low of 35.6°F in its coldest, with 50.43" of precipitation a year and 27% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,051 cooling and 2,531 heating degree days, which is what sets the $142 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Clayton County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Clayton County
Full Clayton County cost breakdown · Every county in Georgia
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Forest Park?
A $119,000 home in Forest Park, Georgia costs approximately $1,079 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $612 principal and interest, $106 property tax, $52 homeowners insurance, $210 utilities and $99 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Forest Park?
Forest Park has an effective property tax rate of 1.067%, based on a median home value of $119,000 and median real estate taxes of $1,270. That is higher than the Clayton County average of 0.893%.
What is the average home price in Forest Park?
The median owner-occupied home value in Forest Park, Georgia is $119,000, against $194,500 across Clayton County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Forest Park?
Median gross rent in Forest Park is $1,101 a month, against $1,079 to own the median home all in. Owning 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 Park — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Georgia.
- 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.