Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Taft Heights, California
A $188,000 home here costs
$1,721per 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 $755 higher every month — 78% 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.
Taft Heights against Kern County and California
| Measure | Taft Heights | Kern County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $187,700 | $310,600 |
| Median property tax | $2,417 | $2,833 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.288% | 0.912% |
| Median gross rent | $1,135 | $1,220 |
| Population | 1,588 | 910,433 |
The weather behind that power bill
Taft Heights sits in Kern County, which averages a high of 98.3°F in its hottest month and a low of 39.6°F in its coldest, with 6.36" of precipitation a year and 55% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,425 cooling and 1,958 heating degree days, which is what sets the $299 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Kern County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Kern County
Full Kern County cost breakdown · Every county in California
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Taft Heights?
A $188,000 home in Taft Heights, California costs approximately $1,721 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $967 principal and interest, $202 property tax, $29 homeowners insurance, $367 utilities and $157 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Taft Heights?
Taft Heights has an effective property tax rate of 1.288%, based on a median home value of $187,700 and median real estate taxes of $2,417. That is higher than the Kern County average of 0.912%.
What is the average home price in Taft Heights?
The median owner-occupied home value in Taft Heights, California is $187,700, against $310,600 across Kern County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Taft Heights?
Median gross rent in Taft Heights is $1,135 a month, against $1,721 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 Taft Heights — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for California.
- 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.