Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Franklin Center, New Jersey
A $565,000 home here costs
$4,624per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,905. The real number is $1,719 higher every month — 59% 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.
Franklin Center against Somerset County and New Jersey
| Measure | Franklin Center | Somerset County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $565,200 | $523,900 |
| Median property tax | $10,001 | $10,001 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.769% | 1.909% |
| Median gross rent | $2,588 | $1,921 |
| Population | 5,770 | 346,203 |
The weather behind that power bill
Franklin Center sits in Somerset County, which averages a high of 86.2°F in its hottest month and a low of 20.6°F in its coldest, with 45.49" of precipitation a year and 32% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 859 cooling and 5,385 heating degree days, which is what sets the $209 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Somerset County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Somerset County
Full Somerset County cost breakdown · Every county in New Jersey
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Franklin Center?
A $565,000 home in Franklin Center, New Jersey costs approximately $4,624 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,905 principal and interest, $833 property tax, $138 homeowners insurance, $277 utilities and $471 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Franklin Center?
Franklin Center has an effective property tax rate of 1.769%, based on a median home value of $565,200 and median real estate taxes of $10,001. That is lower than the Somerset County average of 1.909%.
What is the average home price in Franklin Center?
The median owner-occupied home value in Franklin Center, New Jersey is $565,200, against $523,900 across Somerset County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Franklin Center?
Median gross rent in Franklin Center is $2,588 a month, against $4,624 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 Franklin Center — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for New Jersey.
- 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.