Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Sauk Centre, Minnesota
A $196,000 home here costs
$1,670per 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 $662 higher every month — 66% 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.
Sauk Centre against Stearns County and Minnesota
| Measure | Sauk Centre | Stearns County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $196,000 | $256,500 |
| Median property tax | $2,323 | $2,617 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.185% | 1.020% |
| Median gross rent | $778 | $1,057 |
| Population | 4,589 | 159,358 |
The weather behind that power bill
Sauk Centre sits in Stearns County, which averages a high of 80.9°F in its hottest month and a low of 3.8°F in its coldest, with 31.04" of precipitation a year and 41% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 506 cooling and 8,305 heating degree days, which is what sets the $152 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Stearns County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Stearns County
Full Stearns County cost breakdown · Every county in Minnesota
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Sauk Centre?
A $196,000 home in Sauk Centre, Minnesota costs approximately $1,670 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,008 principal and interest, $194 property tax, $85 homeowners insurance, $220 utilities and $163 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Sauk Centre?
Sauk Centre has an effective property tax rate of 1.185%, based on a median home value of $196,000 and median real estate taxes of $2,323. That is higher than the Stearns County average of 1.020%.
What is the average home price in Sauk Centre?
The median owner-occupied home value in Sauk Centre, Minnesota is $196,000, against $256,500 across Stearns County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Sauk Centre?
Median gross rent in Sauk Centre is $778 a month, against $1,670 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 Sauk Centre — 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.