Cost to Own
United StatesTexasPecos County FIPS 48371 Data vintage ACS 2023 5-Year Rates updated 2026-09-10
The part nobody budgets Even with the mortgage fully paid off, the median home in Pecos County still costs $580 a month in taxes, insurance, utilities and upkeep. See how that compares nationwide

Total monthly cost of ownership

Cost to Own a Home in Pecos County, Texas

A $143,000 home here costs

$1,322

per month, all in, with 20% down at today's 6.76% 30-year fixed rate. By the 28% rule that takes a household income of about $56,500 a year.

P&I 56%Tax 9%Insurance 7%Utilities 18%Upkeep 9%

A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $743. The real number is $580 higher every month, 78% more than the payment most buyers budget for.

County median: $142,900
Under 20% adds PMI
Freddie Mac PMMS
TX average household

Compare with Reeves County · Ward County · Brewster County · any county

Where every dollar goes

Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.

Principal & interest30-year fixed, $114,400 borrowed $743
Property tax1.034% effective rate, Pecos County assessor via Census ACS $123
Homeowners insuranceTexas averages $2,124/yr (NAIC), or 0.794% of home value $95
Electricity15.94¢/kWh, Texas residential average, EIA $175
Water, sewer & trashUS household average $68
Maintenance reserve1% of home value per year, the cost nobody budgets $119
Total monthly $1,322

How Pecos County compares

Pecos County ranks 1,116th of 3,133 US counties by effective property tax rate, meaning property taxes here are lower than in 2,017 counties and higher than in 1,115. Within Texas it ranks 200th of 250.

Pecos County 1.034% 24% higher than national
Texas average 1.276%
National median0.837%
Highest in America, Menominee County, WI3.636%

Paying the full bill when you don't have to?

Texas runs property tax relief: homestead, senior, veteran and disability programs, and nearly all of it requires a filing homeowners never make. See what you can claim in Texas. Buying instead? The state's down payment help is the program lenders forget to mention.

The numbers behind this page

MeasurePecos CountySource
Median home value$142,900ACS B25077
Median real estate taxes paid$1,477ACS B25103
Effective property tax rate1.034%Derived
Median gross rent$973ACS B25064
Occupied housing units5,108ACS B25003
Population14,983ACS B01003
Residential electricity price15.94¢/kWhEIA 5.6.A, June 2026
30-year fixed mortgage rate6.76%Freddie Mac PMMS

The risk behind the insurance bill

FEMA rates Pecos County's overall natural hazard risk Very Low among US counties. Expected annual losses to buildings, people and agriculture here run about $5.7 million a year, county-wide, across every building in it, not per household.

One thing to be clear about: the insurance figure above does not know about any of this. It applies your state's average premium rate to the county's median home value, because published premium data does not exist at county level. Two counties in the same state get the same rate here even when FEMA rates one of them Very High and the other Very Low. So in a high-risk county treat the insurance line as a floor, not an estimate, and get a real quote before you budget.

Drought FEMA National Risk Index percentile 94.5 Relatively High
Hail FEMA National Risk Index percentile 78.8 Relatively Moderate
Lightning FEMA National Risk Index percentile 68.7 Relatively Moderate

Ratings are FEMA's own, relative to all US counties. A high drought or heat rating also shows up in the climate figures for Pecos County.

Talk to someone who works this market

Every figure on this page is a county average. What your specific house costs, or what it would sell for, comes down to the street, the age of the roof and the condition of the systems. We will connect you with one licensed local agent who works Pecos County every week. Free, no obligation, and we never sell your details to a list.

I'm looking to buy in Pecos County I already own here and may sell

The weather behind that power bill

Pecos County runs an average high of 94.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 36.1°F in its coldest, with 12.76" of precipitation a year and 40% of it falling in a single three-month stretch. That climate is what sets the $175 electricity line above: 2,604 cooling degree days and 1,979 heating degree days a year.

See the full Pecos County climate breakdown , month by month temperatures, when the rainy season lands, snowfall, and what the heating and cooling actually cost.

Cities and towns in Pecos County

Each has its own median home value and its own effective tax rate, which can differ noticeably from the county average of 1.034%.

Neighbouring counties

Counties sharing a border with Pecos County. Crossing a state line can change the tax rate dramatically for an otherwise identical house.

All 250 counties in Texas

Questions about owning here

What is the property tax rate in Pecos County?

The effective property tax rate in Pecos County, Texas is 1.034% of home value per year. On the county's median home value of $142,900, that works out to about $1,477 annually, or $123 per month.

How much does it cost to own a home in Pecos County?

A $143,000 home in Pecos County, Texas costs approximately $1,322 per month with 20% down at 6.76%. That breaks down as $743 principal and interest, $123 property tax, $95 insurance, $243 utilities and $119 set aside for maintenance.

Why is this higher than the payment my lender quoted?

Lender quotes usually show principal and interest only, and sometimes property tax and insurance. They almost never include electricity, water or a maintenance reserve. Here those add about $362 a month, which is why the real cost is 78% above the mortgage payment alone.

Is it cheaper to rent in Pecos County?

Median gross rent in Pecos County, Texas is $973 per month, compared with $1,322 a month to own the median home all in. Renting is cheaper month to month, though rent does not build equity and is not fixed for 30 years.

How much is the electric bill in Pecos County?

Texas residential electricity averages 15.94¢ per kWh. At the TX average household usage of 1096 kWh per month, that is about $175. Actual bills vary considerably with house size, insulation and climate.

What salary do you need to buy a home in Pecos County?

Using the standard 28% rule, housing costs at no more than 28% of gross income, buying the median home in Pecos County, Texas at today's rate takes a household income of roughly $56,500 a year. That covers the full $1,322 monthly cost, not just the mortgage payment.

One county over In Crockett County, the same $143,000 home pays about $1,002 a year less in property tax than it does here. See what else changes across the line

Sources & methodology

  • Median home value, real estate taxes paid, gross rent, occupied units and population, US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, tables B25077, B25103, B25064, B25003, B01003.
  • Effective property tax rate, median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value.
  • Mortgage rate, Freddie Mac PMMS, updated weekly.
  • Residential electricity price, US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A.
  • Homeowners insurance, NAIC average premium for Texas ($2,124/yr), expressed as 0.794% of median home value and applied to the price above. A quote for your specific house will differ with roof age, claims history and coverage.
  • Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are modelled national estimates, not quoted figures. Every assumption is editable above.

Full methodology