Question 1

How do I compare the cost of living between two counties?

Accepted Answer

Pick any two of the 3,133 US counties and this tool shows the full monthly cost of owning in each, line by line: principal and interest on that county's own median home, its effective property tax rate, its state's average homeowners insurance and electricity price, water and sewer, and a maintenance reserve. The difference is shown on every line and as an annual total. Free, no signup: https://costtoownahome.com/compare/

Question 2

Why is comparing mortgage payments alone misleading?

Accepted Answer

Principal and interest is typically only 60 to 75% of what owning actually costs each month. Property tax rates vary by more than a factor of ten between US counties, insurance premiums vary by state, and electricity prices vary by climate and utility. Two counties with similar home prices can differ by hundreds of dollars a month once those lines are included.

Compare the real cost of owning, county against county

Side by side

How the figures are built