Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Tatum, Texas
A $201,000 home here costs
$1,739per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $1,033. The real number is $706 higher every month — 68% 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.
Tatum against Rusk County and Texas
| Measure | Tatum | Rusk County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $200,800 | $166,900 |
| Median property tax | $2,274 | $1,670 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.132% | 1.001% |
| Median gross rent | $852 | $997 |
| Population | 1,528 | 52,613 |
Tatum extends across 2 counties. Figures here use Rusk County, where most of its housing sits.
The weather behind that power bill
Tatum sits in Rusk County, which averages a high of 95.0°F in its hottest month and a low of 35.6°F in its coldest, with 50.41" of precipitation a year and 27% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,477 cooling and 2,214 heating degree days, which is what sets the $148 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Rusk County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Rusk County
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Tatum?
A $201,000 home in Tatum, Texas costs approximately $1,739 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $1,033 principal and interest, $190 property tax, $133 homeowners insurance, $216 utilities and $168 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Tatum?
Tatum has an effective property tax rate of 1.132%, based on a median home value of $200,800 and median real estate taxes of $2,274. That is higher than the Rusk County average of 1.001%.
What is the average home price in Tatum?
The median owner-occupied home value in Tatum, Texas is $200,800, against $166,900 across Rusk County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Tatum?
Median gross rent in Tatum is $852 a month, against $1,739 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 Tatum — 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.