Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Palmer Heights, Pennsylvania
A $289,000 home here costs
$2,497per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,486. The real number is $1,012 higher every month — 68% 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.
Palmer Heights against Northampton County and Pennsylvania
| Measure | Palmer Heights | Northampton County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $289,400 | $285,000 |
| Median property tax | $4,956 | $4,710 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.713% | 1.653% |
| Median gross rent | $1,411 | $1,335 |
| Population | 3,963 | 315,927 |
The weather behind that power bill
Palmer Heights sits in Northampton County, which averages a high of 86.4°F in its hottest month and a low of 21.8°F in its coldest, with 47.36" of precipitation a year and 31% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 981 cooling and 5,293 heating degree days, which is what sets the $194 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Northampton County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Northampton County
Full Northampton County cost breakdown · Every county in Pennsylvania
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Palmer Heights?
A $289,000 home in Palmer Heights, Pennsylvania costs approximately $2,497 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,486 principal and interest, $413 property tax, $97 homeowners insurance, $262 utilities and $241 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Palmer Heights?
Palmer Heights has an effective property tax rate of 1.713%, based on a median home value of $289,400 and median real estate taxes of $4,956. That is higher than the Northampton County average of 1.653%.
What is the average home price in Palmer Heights?
The median owner-occupied home value in Palmer Heights, Pennsylvania is $289,400, against $285,000 across Northampton County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Palmer Heights?
Median gross rent in Palmer Heights is $1,411 a month, against $2,497 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 Palmer Heights — 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.