Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
A $198,000 home here costs
$1,607per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,018. The real number is $589 higher every month — 58% 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.
Muscle Shoals against Colbert County and Alabama
| Measure | Muscle Shoals | Colbert County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $198,300 | $161,600 |
| Median property tax | $843 | $604 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.425% | 0.374% |
| Median gross rent | $939 | $838 |
| Population | 16,670 | 57,648 |
The weather behind that power bill
Muscle Shoals sits in Colbert County, which averages a high of 89.2°F in its hottest month and a low of 31.2°F in its coldest, with 57.56" of precipitation a year and 28% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,651 cooling and 3,190 heating degree days, which is what sets the $151 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Colbert County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Colbert County
Full Colbert County cost breakdown · Every county in Alabama
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Muscle Shoals?
A $198,000 home in Muscle Shoals, Alabama costs approximately $1,607 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,018 principal and interest, $70 property tax, $135 homeowners insurance, $219 utilities and $165 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Muscle Shoals?
Muscle Shoals has an effective property tax rate of 0.425%, based on a median home value of $198,300 and median real estate taxes of $843. That is higher than the Colbert County average of 0.374%.
What is the average home price in Muscle Shoals?
The median owner-occupied home value in Muscle Shoals, Alabama is $198,300, against $161,600 across Colbert County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Muscle Shoals?
Median gross rent in Muscle Shoals is $939 a month, against $1,607 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 Muscle Shoals — 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.