Cary, IL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Cary home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Cary house

$10,681a year · $890 a month

Starts at $103,267 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$7,642
8.021% of $103,267, less $8,000 general homestead exemption
Electricity and gas$1,875
609 kWh a month $1,406 · 31 therms $469
Water and sewer$944
6,000 gallons a month on Village of Cary: water $44, sewer $34 a month
Trash$220
65-gallon cart (with 65-gallon recycling cart), $18 a month
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A typical Cary house costs about $10,700 a year: $7,640 property tax and charges, $940 water and sewer, $220 trash, $1,880 electricity and gas; home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 30, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Switch to the 35-gallon cart (with 65-gallon recycling cart) cartUp to $15 a year
Your cart costs $18 a month; the smallest costs $17. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Contact Flood Brothers at (630) 261-0400.
Seniors 65+: senior homestead exemption
Reduces equalized assessed value by up to $8,000.
How: See the McHenry County Assessments exemptions page.
Seniors 65+: low-income assessment freeze
Freezes the equalized assessed value at the base year (year before first qualifying). Must be 65 or older, household income $75,000 or less.
How: Apply with the Senior Freeze form from the County.
Persons with disabilities exemption
$2,000 off equalized assessed value annually.
How: Provide proof of disability (e.g., Social Security eligibility or Illinois disability ID).

Money dates

November 16, 2026in 11 daysDeadline for filing an assessment complaint (Algonquin Township), at midnight.
Every even monthWater and sewer bills are billed the first working day of the billing month and due on the last working day of the billing month.

Who serves this house

Water: Village of Cary; Inside corporate limits, water is $6.71 per 1,000 gallons, plus a $3.91 per month user fee.
Property tax: 8.02% of value; 2025 tax year (payable 2026), McHenry County, tax code 19007 (Cary Village, School District 26, High School District 155)
Garbage: Flood Brothers Disposal; The Village of Cary has contracted with Flood Brothers Disposal for refuse and recycling collection.
Electricity: ComEd; The Village lists Commonwealth Edison as its electricity provider.
Gas: Nicor Gas; The Village lists Northern Illinois Gas (Nicor) as its natural gas provider.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Billing: Six times a year
Rate increase: 5.9% on May 1, 2026 and May 1, 2027

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses the 2025 McHenry County rates for tax code 19007 (Cary Village, School District 26, Cary-Grove High School District 155, McHenry County College 528, Cary Fire, Park and Library districts) from the county clerk's District Rates by Taxcode report; codes 19T09, 19T97 and 20007 carry the same total, and other codes (District 300, District 47, Algonquin library) differ. Special Service Area 1 and the TIF districts show 0.000000 in that report.
The starting value is one third of the Data USA median property value ($309,800 / 3) because Illinois taxes equalized assessed value; the $8,000 general homestead exemption comes off it. The equalization factor is modelled as 1.0.
Water ($6.71) and sewer ($5.75) per 1,000 gallons and the $3.91 monthly user fee are the Village rates effective May 1, 2026; the Village bills every other month, so the fee is shown per month and carried on the water line (it is one fee for the combined water and sewer bill). Typical use is the 6,000 gallons a month the Village's 2023 rate study uses for an average residential user.
Trash is the Flood Brothers 65-gallon refuse cart with a 65-gallon recycling cart from the guide dated 12/2024-11/2025, the latest guide the Village and Flood Brothers publish; yard waste collection is in that price.
Electricity is ComEd single-family without electric space heat (January 2026 delivery lines plus October 2026 supply and transmission). The Village's 5% electric utility tax is multiplied into the monthly charge and the per-kWh rate. Cary's electric aggregation program prices supply at the ComEd rate. Gas is Nicor Rate 1 with the October 2026 gas cost; the Village lists no gas utility tax.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Cary compares

A typical Cary house against the 132 Illinois cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Cary	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	8.02%	8.23%	lower than 69 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Water	$530	$872	lower than 118 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$414	$535	lower than 78 of the other 123 Illinois cities we cover
Trash	$220	$283	lower than 102 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,875	$2,163	lower than 106 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Total	$10,681	$11,701	lower than 84 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $530 a year at typical use, lower than 118 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $530 a year at typical use, lower than 118 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $220 a year for the standard cart, lower than 102 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $220 a year for the standard cart, lower than 102 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,875 a year, lower than 106 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,875 a year for a typical house, lower than 106 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

Common questions about Cary house costs

What is the property tax rate in Cary?

About 8.02% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year (payable 2026), McHenry County, tax code 19007 (Cary Village, School District 26, High School District 155)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Cary?

About $39,466 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the general homestead exemption.

How much is the water bill in Cary?

About $79 a month for water and sewer at typical use (6,000 gallons a month) on Village of Cary.

How much does trash pickup cost in Cary?

$17 to $20 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon cart (with 65-gallon recycling cart), 65-gallon cart (with 65-gallon recycling cart), 95-gallon cart (with 65-gallon recycling cart)).

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Cary?

Yes. Switch to the 35-gallon cart (with 65-gallon recycling cart) cart (up to $15 a year): Your cart costs $18 a month; the smallest costs $17. Worth it if you rarely fill it.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Cary?

Seniors 65+: low-income assessment freeze: Freezes the equalized assessed value at the base year (year before first qualifying). Must be 65 or older, household income $75,000 or less. Apply with the Senior Freeze form from the County.

How much does a house in Cary cost to run each year?

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