Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Hays, North Carolina
A $159,000 home here costs
$1,283per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $817. The real number is $466 higher every month — 57% 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.
Hays against Wilkes County and North Carolina
| Measure | Hays | Wilkes County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $158,900 | $161,400 |
| Median property tax | $862 | $1,003 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.542% | 0.621% |
| Median gross rent | — | $715 |
| Population | 1,355 | 65,983 |
The weather behind that power bill
Hays sits in Wilkes County, which averages a high of 86.9°F in its hottest month and a low of 27.0°F in its coldest, with 51.7" of precipitation a year and 28% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,201 cooling and 4,000 heating degree days, which is what sets the $136 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Wilkes County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Wilkes County
Full Wilkes County cost breakdown · Every county in North Carolina
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Hays?
A $159,000 home in Hays, North Carolina costs approximately $1,283 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $817 principal and interest, $72 property tax, $58 homeowners insurance, $204 utilities and $133 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Hays?
Hays has an effective property tax rate of 0.542%, based on a median home value of $158,900 and median real estate taxes of $862. That is lower than the Wilkes County average of 0.621%.
What is the average home price in Hays?
The median owner-occupied home value in Hays, North Carolina is $158,900, against $161,400 across Wilkes County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Hays?
Rent data is not published for Hays at this level of detail.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Hays — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for North Carolina.
- 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.