Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Mountain Home, Arkansas
A $160,000 home here costs
$1,335per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $823. The real number is $512 higher every month — 62% 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.
Mountain Home against Baxter County and Arkansas
| Measure | Mountain Home | Baxter County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $160,200 | $165,400 |
| Median property tax | $748 | $765 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.467% | 0.463% |
| Median gross rent | $857 | $866 |
| Population | 13,021 | 42,150 |
The weather behind that power bill
Mountain Home sits in Baxter County, which averages a high of 89.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 27.5°F in its coldest, with 41.19" of precipitation a year and 31% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,594 cooling and 3,815 heating degree days, which is what sets the $129 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Baxter County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Baxter County
Full Baxter County cost breakdown · Every county in Arkansas
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Mountain Home?
A $160,000 home in Mountain Home, Arkansas costs approximately $1,335 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $823 principal and interest, $62 property tax, $119 homeowners insurance, $197 utilities and $133 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Mountain Home?
Mountain Home has an effective property tax rate of 0.467%, based on a median home value of $160,200 and median real estate taxes of $748. That is in line with the Baxter County average of 0.463%.
What is the average home price in Mountain Home?
The median owner-occupied home value in Mountain Home, Arkansas is $160,200, against $165,400 across Baxter County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Mountain Home?
Median gross rent in Mountain Home is $857 a month, against $1,335 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 Mountain Home — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Arkansas.
- 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.