Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Stem, North Carolina
A $208,000 home here costs
$1,710per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,069. The real number is $641 higher every month — 60% 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.
Stem against Granville County and North Carolina
| Measure | Stem | Granville County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $207,600 | $235,700 |
| Median property tax | $2,260 | $1,694 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.089% | 0.719% |
| Median gross rent | $983 | $1,008 |
| Population | 1,064 | 61,439 |
The weather behind that power bill
Stem sits in Granville County, which averages a high of 89.0°F in its hottest month and a low of 29.5°F in its coldest, with 46.56" of precipitation a year and 30% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,551 cooling and 3,574 heating degree days, which is what sets the $136 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Granville County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Granville County
Full Granville County cost breakdown · Every county in North Carolina
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Stem?
A $208,000 home in Stem, North Carolina costs approximately $1,710 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,069 principal and interest, $189 property tax, $75 homeowners insurance, $204 utilities and $173 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Stem?
Stem has an effective property tax rate of 1.089%, based on a median home value of $207,600 and median real estate taxes of $2,260. That is higher than the Granville County average of 0.719%.
What is the average home price in Stem?
The median owner-occupied home value in Stem, North Carolina is $207,600, against $235,700 across Granville County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Stem?
Median gross rent in Stem is $983 a month, against $1,710 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 Stem — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for North Carolina.
- 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.