Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Highlands, North Carolina
A $666,000 home here costs
$4,642per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $3,424. The real number is $1,218 higher every month — 36% 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.
Highlands against Jackson County and North Carolina
| Measure | Highlands | Jackson County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $666,300 | $253,900 |
| Median property tax | $2,616 | $938 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.393% | 0.369% |
| Median gross rent | $905 | $855 |
| Population | 1,276 | 43,089 |
Highlands extends across 2 counties. Figures here use Jackson County, where most of its housing sits.
The weather behind that power bill
Highlands sits in Jackson County, which averages a high of 85.3°F in its hottest month and a low of 25.6°F in its coldest, with 54.18" of precipitation a year and 27% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 901 cooling and 4,130 heating degree days, which is what sets the $136 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Jackson County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Jackson County
Full Jackson County cost breakdown · Every county in North Carolina
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Highlands?
A $666,000 home in Highlands, North Carolina costs approximately $4,642 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $3,424 principal and interest, $218 property tax, $241 homeowners insurance, $204 utilities and $555 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Highlands?
Highlands has an effective property tax rate of 0.393%, based on a median home value of $666,300 and median real estate taxes of $2,616. That is higher than the Jackson County average of 0.369%.
What is the average home price in Highlands?
The median owner-occupied home value in Highlands, North Carolina is $666,300, against $253,900 across Jackson County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Highlands?
Median gross rent in Highlands is $905 a month, against $4,642 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 Highlands — 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.