Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Lykens, Pennsylvania
A $101,000 home here costs
$1,029per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $519. The real number is $510 higher every month — 98% 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.
Lykens against Dauphin County and Pennsylvania
| Measure | Lykens | Dauphin County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $101,300 | $222,300 |
| Median property tax | $1,565 | $3,171 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.545% | 1.426% |
| Median gross rent | $879 | $1,153 |
| Population | 1,830 | 287,484 |
The weather behind that power bill
Lykens sits in Dauphin County, which averages a high of 83.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 20.0°F in its coldest, with 50.85" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 642 cooling and 5,860 heating degree days, which is what sets the $194 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Dauphin County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Dauphin County
Full Dauphin County cost breakdown · Every county in Pennsylvania
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Lykens?
A $101,000 home in Lykens, Pennsylvania costs approximately $1,029 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $519 principal and interest, $130 property tax, $34 homeowners insurance, $262 utilities and $84 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Lykens?
Lykens has an effective property tax rate of 1.545%, based on a median home value of $101,300 and median real estate taxes of $1,565. That is higher than the Dauphin County average of 1.426%.
What is the average home price in Lykens?
The median owner-occupied home value in Lykens, Pennsylvania is $101,300, against $222,300 across Dauphin County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Lykens?
Median gross rent in Lykens is $879 a month, against $1,029 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 Lykens — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Pennsylvania.
- 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.