Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Reading, Massachusetts
A $741,000 home here costs
$5,711per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $3,809. The real number is $1,901 higher every month — 50% 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.
Reading against Middlesex County and Massachusetts
| Measure | Reading | Middlesex County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $741,100 | $687,200 |
| Median property tax | $9,185 | $7,240 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.239% | 1.054% |
| Median gross rent | $1,722 | $2,126 |
| Population | 25,448 | 1,622,896 |
The weather behind that power bill
Reading sits in Middlesex County, which averages a high of 85.1°F in its hottest month and a low of 18.2°F in its coldest, with 42.6" of precipitation a year and 28% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 743 cooling and 5,996 heating degree days, which is what sets the $259 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Middlesex County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Middlesex County
Full Middlesex County cost breakdown · Every county in Massachusetts
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Reading?
A $741,000 home in Reading, Massachusetts costs approximately $5,711 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $3,809 principal and interest, $765 property tax, $191 homeowners insurance, $327 utilities and $618 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Reading?
Reading has an effective property tax rate of 1.239%, based on a median home value of $741,100 and median real estate taxes of $9,185. That is higher than the Middlesex County average of 1.054%.
What is the average home price in Reading?
The median owner-occupied home value in Reading, Massachusetts is $741,100, against $687,200 across Middlesex County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Reading?
Median gross rent in Reading is $1,722 a month, against $5,711 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 Reading — 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.