Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Sparta, Illinois
A $121,000 home here costs
$1,238per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $622. The real number is $615 higher every month — 99% 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.
Sparta against Randolph County and Illinois
| Measure | Sparta | Randolph County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $120,500 | $134,100 |
| Median property tax | $2,209 | $1,877 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.833% | 1.400% |
| Median gross rent | $722 | $760 |
| Population | 4,070 | 30,142 |
The weather behind that power bill
Sparta sits in Randolph County, which averages a high of 87.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 21.6°F in its coldest, with 45.64" of precipitation a year and 32% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,244 cooling and 4,833 heating degree days, which is what sets the $214 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Randolph County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Randolph County
Full Randolph County cost breakdown · Every county in Illinois
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Sparta?
A $121,000 home in Sparta, Illinois costs approximately $1,238 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $622 principal and interest, $185 property tax, $47 homeowners insurance, $282 utilities and $101 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Sparta?
Sparta has an effective property tax rate of 1.833%, based on a median home value of $120,500 and median real estate taxes of $2,209. That is higher than the Randolph County average of 1.400%.
What is the average home price in Sparta?
The median owner-occupied home value in Sparta, Illinois is $120,500, against $134,100 across Randolph County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Sparta?
Median gross rent in Sparta is $722 a month, against $1,238 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 Sparta — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Illinois.
- 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.