Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Orleans, Massachusetts
A $543,000 home here costs
$3,957per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,792. The real number is $1,166 higher every month — 42% 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.
Orleans against Barnstable County and Massachusetts
| Measure | Orleans | Barnstable County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $542,500 | $575,900 |
| Median property tax | $2,945 | $4,090 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.543% | 0.710% |
| Median gross rent | $960 | $1,596 |
| Population | 1,618 | 230,073 |
The weather behind that power bill
Orleans sits in Barnstable County, which averages a high of 80.8°F in its hottest month and a low of 24.1°F in its coldest, with 44.7" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 632 cooling and 5,518 heating degree days, which is what sets the $259 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Barnstable County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Barnstable County
Full Barnstable County cost breakdown · Every county in Massachusetts
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Orleans?
A $543,000 home in Orleans, Massachusetts costs approximately $3,957 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,792 principal and interest, $246 property tax, $140 homeowners insurance, $327 utilities and $453 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Orleans?
Orleans has an effective property tax rate of 0.543%, based on a median home value of $542,500 and median real estate taxes of $2,945. That is lower than the Barnstable County average of 0.710%.
What is the average home price in Orleans?
The median owner-occupied home value in Orleans, Massachusetts is $542,500, against $575,900 across Barnstable County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Orleans?
Median gross rent in Orleans is $960 a month, against $3,957 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 Orleans — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Massachusetts.
- 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.