Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Kenai, Alaska
A $249,000 home here costs
$1,996per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,280. The real number is $716 higher every month — 56% 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.
Kenai against Kenai Peninsula Borough and Alaska
| Measure | Kenai | Kenai Peninsula Borough |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $249,400 | $297,500 |
| Median property tax | $1,446 | $1,974 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.580% | 0.664% |
| Median gross rent | $1,134 | $1,163 |
| Population | 7,562 | 59,843 |
The weather behind that power bill
Kenai sits in Kenai Peninsula Borough, which averages a high of 63.3°F in its hottest month and a low of 7.4°F in its coldest, with 18.27" of precipitation a year and 48% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1 cooling and 10,693 heating degree days, which is what sets the $254 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Kenai Peninsula Borough — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Kenai Peninsula Borough
Full Kenai Peninsula Borough cost breakdown · Every county in Alaska
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Kenai?
A $249,000 home in Kenai, Alaska costs approximately $1,996 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,280 principal and interest, $120 property tax, $67 homeowners insurance, $322 utilities and $208 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Kenai?
Kenai has an effective property tax rate of 0.580%, based on a median home value of $249,400 and median real estate taxes of $1,446. That is lower than the Kenai Peninsula Borough average of 0.664%.
What is the average home price in Kenai?
The median owner-occupied home value in Kenai, Alaska is $249,400, against $297,500 across Kenai Peninsula Borough.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Kenai?
Median gross rent in Kenai is $1,134 a month, against $1,996 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 Kenai — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Alaska.
- 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.