Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Rice, Minnesota
A $238,000 home here costs
$1,951per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,224. The real number is $727 higher every month — 59% 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.
Rice against Benton County and Minnesota
| Measure | Rice | Benton County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $237,600 | $247,100 |
| Median property tax | $2,456 | $2,532 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.034% | 1.025% |
| Median gross rent | $1,529 | $917 |
| Population | 1,998 | 41,458 |
The weather behind that power bill
Rice sits in Benton County, which averages a high of 81.6°F in its hottest month and a low of 2.9°F in its coldest, with 28.49" of precipitation a year and 40% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 468 cooling and 8,490 heating degree days, which is what sets the $152 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Benton County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Benton County
Full Benton County cost breakdown · Every county in Minnesota
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Rice?
A $238,000 home in Rice, Minnesota costs approximately $1,951 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,224 principal and interest, $205 property tax, $103 homeowners insurance, $220 utilities and $198 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Rice?
Rice has an effective property tax rate of 1.034%, based on a median home value of $237,600 and median real estate taxes of $2,456. That is in line with the Benton County average of 1.025%.
What is the average home price in Rice?
The median owner-occupied home value in Rice, Minnesota is $237,600, against $247,100 across Benton County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Rice?
Median gross rent in Rice is $1,529 a month, against $1,951 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 Rice — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Minnesota.
- 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.