Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Mobile, Alabama
A $170,000 home here costs
$1,427per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $874. The real number is $553 higher every month — 63% 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.
Mobile against Mobile County and Alabama
| Measure | Mobile | Mobile County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $170,300 | $176,600 |
| Median property tax | $924 | $849 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.543% | 0.481% |
| Median gross rent | $1,029 | $1,021 |
| Population | 185,097 | 413,162 |
The weather behind that power bill
Mobile sits in Mobile County, which averages a high of 90.9°F in its hottest month and a low of 40.7°F in its coldest, with 67.08" of precipitation a year and 31% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,598 cooling and 1,616 heating degree days, which is what sets the $151 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Mobile County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Mobile County
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Mobile?
A $170,000 home in Mobile, Alabama costs approximately $1,427 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $874 principal and interest, $77 property tax, $116 homeowners insurance, $219 utilities and $142 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Mobile?
Mobile has an effective property tax rate of 0.543%, based on a median home value of $170,300 and median real estate taxes of $924. That is higher than the Mobile County average of 0.481%.
What is the average home price in Mobile?
The median owner-occupied home value in Mobile, Alabama is $170,300, against $176,600 across Mobile County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Mobile?
Median gross rent in Mobile is $1,029 a month, against $1,427 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 Mobile — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Alabama.
- 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.