Monthly cost calculator
Estimate the monthly cost of a new home: principal & interest, property tax, HOA dues, insurance and PMI, plus cash to close. Pick a builder and community to prefill what we have on file, then adjust anything.
Estimate only. Not financial advice. We are not a lender or financial advisor. Actual payments depend on your loan terms, credit, the assessed value, insurance quotes and fees not shown here. Get an official Loan Estimate from a licensed lender before making decisions. Terms & disclaimer
Monthly cost breakdown
About these numbers
- This is an estimate. Results are rounded and may differ from a lender's figures.
- Property tax is calculated on the assessed value, which may differ from the purchase price; here we use the price as a stand-in. Rates are per $100 assessed value, FY2026-27, from county and town sources. Town limits are not verified per parcel. If a home is outside town limits, a county fire district rate applies instead of the town rate and the result is flagged. Homes inside the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district also pay the CHCCS district tax (0.1479 per $100, Orange County 2026 rate codes).
- Default rates: Freddie Mac PMMS averages for the week ending Oct 22, 2026: 7.32% 30-year fixed and 6.68% 15-year fixed (source, updated weekly). Builder incentive rates are never applied automatically; tick one to use it. Many are temporary buydowns (the rate rises after year 1 or 2) or ARMs, and most require the builder's lender. The calculator shows the payment after the intro period where it is published.
- Homeowners insurance defaults to 0.40% of the price per year. This is our assumption, not a quote. For context, the NAIC's latest report puts the 2023 average North Carolina HO-3 premium at $1,852 (NAIC). Get quotes from insurers.
- PMI is added when the down payment is under 20%, at a default of 0.50% of the loan per year (editable). Freddie Mac says PMI typically runs about $30–$70 a month per $100,000 borrowed and uses 0.51% in its example (Freddie Mac). It can usually be removed at 20% equity. FHA/VA fees are not included.
- Cash to close adds the down payment, estimated closing costs (default 3% of the price; Freddie Mac says 2–5%, source) and any HOA capital contribution we found, minus nothing for incentives (subtract a closing-cost incentive yourself if you qualify).
- HOA dues are as published by the builder or HOA; "Not published" means we could not find them. Where a page gives an amount but not the period, we do not fill it in and flag it as unverified.
- Land-only and lot-sale listings, and communities without a sourced price, are not prefilled; enter your own price. DRB Homes and America's Home Place have no sourced community price, so enter your own.