Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Pickens, South Carolina
A $196,000 home here costs
$1,546per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,008. The real number is $538 higher every month — 53% 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.
Pickens against Pickens County and South Carolina
| Measure | Pickens | Pickens County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $196,400 | $216,000 |
| Median property tax | $804 | $821 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.409% | 0.380% |
| Median gross rent | $874 | $936 |
| Population | 3,386 | 132,604 |
The weather behind that power bill
Pickens sits in Pickens County, which averages a high of 89.8°F in its hottest month and a low of 30.4°F in its coldest, with 56.67" of precipitation a year and 27% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,643 cooling and 3,229 heating degree days, which is what sets the $145 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Pickens County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Pickens County
Full Pickens County cost breakdown · Every county in South Carolina
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Pickens?
A $196,000 home in Pickens, South Carolina costs approximately $1,546 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,008 principal and interest, $67 property tax, $94 homeowners insurance, $213 utilities and $163 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Pickens?
Pickens has an effective property tax rate of 0.409%, based on a median home value of $196,400 and median real estate taxes of $804. That is higher than the Pickens County average of 0.380%.
What is the average home price in Pickens?
The median owner-occupied home value in Pickens, South Carolina is $196,400, against $216,000 across Pickens County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Pickens?
Median gross rent in Pickens is $874 a month, against $1,546 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 Pickens — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for South Carolina.
- 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.