Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Friend, Nebraska
A $171,000 home here costs
$1,535per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $879. The real number is $656 higher every month — 75% 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.
Friend against Saline County and Nebraska
| Measure | Friend | Saline County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $171,200 | $180,700 |
| Median property tax | $2,591 | $2,445 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.513% | 1.353% |
| Median gross rent | $808 | $833 |
| Population | 1,085 | 14,642 |
The weather behind that power bill
Friend sits in Saline County, which averages a high of 86.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 15.4°F in its coldest, with 29.5" of precipitation a year and 43% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,055 cooling and 5,946 heating degree days, which is what sets the $122 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Saline County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Saline County
Full Saline County cost breakdown · Every county in Nebraska
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Friend?
A $171,000 home in Friend, Nebraska costs approximately $1,535 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $879 principal and interest, $216 property tax, $108 homeowners insurance, $190 utilities and $143 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Friend?
Friend has an effective property tax rate of 1.513%, based on a median home value of $171,200 and median real estate taxes of $2,591. That is higher than the Saline County average of 1.353%.
What is the average home price in Friend?
The median owner-occupied home value in Friend, Nebraska is $171,200, against $180,700 across Saline County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Friend?
Median gross rent in Friend is $808 a month, against $1,535 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 Friend — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Nebraska.
- 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.