Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Island Heights, New Jersey
A $493,000 home here costs
$3,969per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,535. The real number is $1,435 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.
Island Heights against Ocean County and New Jersey
| Measure | Island Heights | Ocean County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $492,600 | $366,600 |
| Median property tax | $7,507 | $6,499 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.524% | 1.773% |
| Median gross rent | $1,889 | $1,702 |
| Population | 1,691 | 646,434 |
The weather behind that power bill
Island Heights sits in Ocean County, which averages a high of 85.5°F in its hottest month and a low of 21.7°F in its coldest, with 52.04" of precipitation a year and 27% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 861 cooling and 5,328 heating degree days, which is what sets the $209 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Ocean County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Ocean County
Full Ocean County cost breakdown · Every county in New Jersey
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Island Heights?
A $493,000 home in Island Heights, New Jersey costs approximately $3,969 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,535 principal and interest, $626 property tax, $121 homeowners insurance, $277 utilities and $411 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Island Heights?
Island Heights has an effective property tax rate of 1.524%, based on a median home value of $492,600 and median real estate taxes of $7,507. That is lower than the Ocean County average of 1.773%.
What is the average home price in Island Heights?
The median owner-occupied home value in Island Heights, New Jersey is $492,600, against $366,600 across Ocean County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Island Heights?
Median gross rent in Island Heights is $1,889 a month, against $3,969 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 Island Heights — 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.