Highland, IL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Highland 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 Highland house

$7,872a year · $656 a month

Starts at $67,633 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$4,612
7.483% of $67,633, less $6,000 general homestead exemption
Electricity$1,399
853.4 kWh a month $1,399
Water and sewer$1,489
7,000 gallons a month on City of Highland Water: water $61, sewer $63 a month
Trash$372
Residential trash and recycling, $31 a month
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A typical Highland house costs about $7,900 a year: $4,610 property tax and charges, $1,490 water and sewer, $370 trash, $1,400 electricity; 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:

Seniors 65+: senior homestead exemption
The Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption is a $5,000 reduction in the EAV of the property.
How: File Form PTAX-324.
Seniors with household income under $65,000: assessment freeze
Allows senior citizens with a total household maximum income of less than $65,000 to keep their home's EAV at the base year.
How: Apply every year (PTAX-340) with the Chief County Assessment Office.
Disabled owners: person with disabilities exemption
Reduces the EAV by $2,000 only if the primary residence is owned and occupied by a disabled person that is liable for the payment of property taxes.

Money dates

December 9, 2026in 34 daysFourth installment

Who serves this house

Water: City of Highland Water; In-city rates effective 1/1/2026 (Ordinance 3305).
Property tax: 7.48% of value; 2025 tax year (payable 2026), Madison County
Garbage: Republic Services (City contract); Refuse service is contracted by the City of Highland to Republic Services.
Sewer: City of Highland; Sewer billing amounts are based on water consumption per City of Highland ordinance.
Electricity: City of Highland Light & Power; The City of Highland provides electric, water, sewer, and refuse service.
Gas: Ameren Illinois; Natural Gas Service: Ameren IP, (800) 755-5000.

Pay or manage your bills

Pay your utility bill ↗

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How these numbers are made

Property tax: Madison County 2025 rates (payable 2026) for tax code 002 (Highland city in Helvetia Township, Highland CUSD 5): 7.4826 per $100 of EAV. Highland parcels in Saline Township (code 010, 7.2447) or in TIF codes differ slightly; Marine Township code 516 is Triad CUSD 2 (7.8562).
Starting value is one third of the Census median value ($202,900 / 3); the $6,000 general homestead exemption comes off it.
Water: in-city 5/8 inch meter $10.92 a month plus $0.743 / $0.685 / $0.381 per 100 gallons, shown here per 1,000 gallons. Sewer: $10.93 a month plus $0.776 per 100 gallons of water (September 1, 2026 step).
Trash: $31.00 a month residential rate (effective December 1, 2025), on the monthly utility bill.
HOLD - DO NOT PUBLISH: missing item is the current monthly power cost adjustment (PCA, $/kWh). Ordinance 3331 sec. 78-112(g) defines it only as a formula on wholesale cost (above $0.0473/kWh); no monthly figure or bill sample is on highlandil.gov, the city code or free/paid search (checked 2026-10-30). Electric here is the city's $27.00 + $0.1050/kWh from its rate page only (the fetched Ordinance 3331 text shows an older $19.00 + $0.0810, so the page is the sole source for the later rate; ordinance not found). Gas is Ameren Illinois and is not modelled (therm = 0); add its tariff before any publish.
Typical kWh is a placeholder (EIA 2024 Ameren Illinois residential average), not a Highland figure.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Highland compares

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

Per year	Highland	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	7.48%	8.23%	lower than 89 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Water	$731	$872	lower than 95 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$758	$535	higher than 89 of the other 123 Illinois cities we cover
Trash	$372	$283	higher than 112 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,399	$2,163	lower than 130 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Total	$7,872	$11,701	lower than 121 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. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $372 a year for the standard cart, higher than 112 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 $372 a year for the standard cart, higher than 112 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

2. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,399 a year, lower than 130 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 $1,399 a year for a typical house, lower than 130 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 Highland house costs

What is the property tax rate in Highland?

About 7.48% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year (payable 2026), Madison County), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $36,964 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the general homestead exemption.

How much is the water bill in Highland?

About $124 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Highland Water.

How much does trash pickup cost in Highland?

$31 a month for a house.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Highland?

Yes. Seniors 65+: senior homestead exemption: The Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption is a $5,000 reduction in the EAV of the property.

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

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