Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Sumter, South Carolina
A $188,000 home here costs
$1,517per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $967. The real number is $551 higher every month — 57% 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.
Sumter against Sumter County and South Carolina
| Measure | Sumter | Sumter County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $188,400 | $159,500 |
| Median property tax | $1,081 | $860 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.574% | 0.539% |
| Median gross rent | $1,055 | $1,006 |
| Population | 43,065 | 104,853 |
The weather behind that power bill
Sumter sits in Sumter County, which averages a high of 90.2°F in its hottest month and a low of 32.8°F in its coldest, with 48.83" of precipitation a year and 32% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,796 cooling and 2,821 heating degree days, which is what sets the $145 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Sumter County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Sumter County
Full Sumter County cost breakdown · Every county in South Carolina
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Sumter?
A $188,000 home in Sumter, South Carolina costs approximately $1,517 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $967 principal and interest, $90 property tax, $91 homeowners insurance, $213 utilities and $157 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Sumter?
Sumter has an effective property tax rate of 0.574%, based on a median home value of $188,400 and median real estate taxes of $1,081. That is higher than the Sumter County average of 0.539%.
What is the average home price in Sumter?
The median owner-occupied home value in Sumter, South Carolina is $188,400, against $159,500 across Sumter County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Sumter?
Median gross rent in Sumter is $1,055 a month, against $1,517 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 Sumter — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for South 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.