Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Sparks, Texas
A $102,000 home here costs
$1,071per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $524. The real number is $547 higher every month — 104% 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.
Sparks against El Paso County and Texas
| Measure | Sparks | El Paso County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $101,800 | $167,300 |
| Median property tax | $2,136 | $3,490 |
| Effective tax rate | 2.098% | 2.086% |
| Median gross rent | $1,125 | $1,045 |
| Population | 4,936 | 866,275 |
The weather behind that power bill
Sparks sits in El Paso County, which averages a high of 97.1°F in its hottest month and a low of 34.4°F in its coldest, with 8.78" of precipitation a year and 54% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,662 cooling and 2,206 heating degree days, which is what sets the $148 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for El Paso County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in El Paso County
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Sparks?
A $102,000 home in Sparks, Texas costs approximately $1,071 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $524 principal and interest, $178 property tax, $67 homeowners insurance, $216 utilities and $85 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Sparks?
Sparks has an effective property tax rate of 2.098%, based on a median home value of $101,800 and median real estate taxes of $2,136. That is higher than the El Paso County average of 2.086%.
What is the average home price in Sparks?
The median owner-occupied home value in Sparks, Texas is $101,800, against $167,300 across El Paso County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Sparks?
Median gross rent in Sparks is $1,125 a month, against $1,071 to own the median home all in. Owning costs less month to month here, though renting builds no equity.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Sparks — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Texas.
- 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.